Alexander Isak was left out of the Liverpool squad to face Brentford due to a groin injury, with the Swede's situation at Anfield said to be 'affecting' his team-mates
Alexander Isak is out with injury
Alexander Isak is out with injury(Image: Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Alexander Isak's summer standoff with Newcastle United is reportedly affecting Liverpool as the Swedish striker works to regain full fitness.
Isak's transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool dominated headlines during the summer window. The 26-year-old declined to feature for the Magpies, claiming Eddie Howe's team had made "broken promises" in a social media statement.
Having skipped pre-season preparations and the campaign's opening fixtures, Liverpool eventually paid £125m for a player lacking the conditioning to complete 90 minutes at the season's start.
Following eight outings for the Reds, Isak was omitted from Liverpool's squad for their encounter with Brentford owing to a groin problem.
BBC Sport's Chris Sutton reckons this stems from the forward's choice to down tools during his final period at Newcastle.
He wrote: "It feels like what has happened to him is a case of you reap what you sow. Isak has been short of full fitness and especially sharpness all season anyway, and he did not help himself there by missing training with Newcastle in order to try to force his move to Anfield through.
Isak left Newcastle in ugly circumstances
Isak left Newcastle in ugly circumstances
View 2 Images
"He got what he wanted, but now he is trying to play catch-up instead of hitting the ground running because of the time he had off, and that is when you can pick up injuries.
"Isak is too good a player not to eventually start scoring goals but this whole situation has affected Liverpool as a team too, because his lack of fitness is one of the reasons they have not clicked in the final third yet."
Whilst Isak has been settling in at Liverpool, former Newcastle transfer target Hugo Ekitike has netted six goals and provided one assist in his first 13 outings for the Reds following his £79m switch from Frankfurt.
The pair of high-profile strikers were expected to engage in an epic fight for the main forward position, with both eager to establish themselves as Arne Slot's preferred option.
At present, Ekitike seems to be gaining the upper hand in that contest, even though Liverpool splashed out £46m more for Isak.
Here at ChronicleLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Newcastle United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest NUFC news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.
And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Everything is Black and White podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts**,* and you can also watch along on YouTube.*