Virgil van Dijk has been candid about Alexander Isak's difficult start to his Liverpool career after finally ending his goal drought against West Ham on Sunday.
Isak arrived at Liverpool short of match fitness after his record transfer from Newcastle and has so far failed to nail down a regular starting spot under Arne Slot, with Hugo Ekitike also impressing in the main striking position.
The Swede had failed to find the net in 10 matches for the Reds but got off the mark at West Ham with a clever finish as Liverpool ended its alarming run with a much-needed three points.
It is unclear if Isak will keep his place on Wednesday night against Sunderland but captain Van Dijk has shown his support for his teammate.
Writing in his program notes, the Dutchman said: "We know that things haven’t been so good for us recently, but Sunday was extremely welcome, in terms of both the result and the performance.
"It was great to see Alexander Isak score his first Premier League goal for the club. Alex has not had the easiest time since joining, as I’m sure he would tell you himself, but he has been working extremely hard behind the scenes, and we know the quality he possesses.
"He is a clinical finisher, and hopefully that was the first of many league goals in a Liverpool shirt."
Alexander Isak
Alexander Isak celebrates his goal at West Ham (Image: Getty Images)
While Slot weighs up attacking changes, after leaving Mohamed Salah on the bench on Sunday, he is likely to keep the same defense that delivered a much-needed clean sheet.
And that would mean another start for Joe Gomez, who impressed at right back after finding opportunities hard to come by in the opening months of the season.
Van Dijk reserved praise for his long-term teammate, adding: "I have said many times previously that in order to be successful, we are going to need everybody to be ready to play their part, whether it’s from the start or off the bench. I thought Joey was outstanding on the day, so big credit to him."
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Liverpool now welcomes Sunderland to Anfield with Regis Le Bris' side impressing since their promotion from the Championship and Van Dijk knows his side is in for a tough game.
He said: "“No game in the Premier League is ever easy, and we need to be ready to follow up what we did at West Ham, to stay humble and to go again. That means, first and foremost, doing the basics – competing, running hard, defending as a team – and then hopefully letting our quality shine through.
“Our last two games at Anfield were extremely disappointing, and we can’t ignore that. We know that you deserve a lot better than what you saw against Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven, and that is what we intend to show you tonight."