While Isak is destined to sit out that fixture, and several more early in 2026, Slot believes that a proven Premier League goalscorer will return before the end of the season. He said when asked if Isak needs support, as his troubles mount, and if he still has a part to play this term: “Yeah, the last thing I am. And the first thing, it’s been a really challenging and difficult period for him, I think.
“You join a new club and usually when you join a new club you are, and he was of course, very excited and you want to show immediately all the qualities you have but that was simply impossible.
“Maybe no-one understands but if you haven’t trained for three or four months on a serious level with the team and you’re playing in this league… in this league you need to be on the top of your game to impact a game of football.
“That took, which we all knew, months before we could bring him there because there was no pre-season, there were games, games, games.
“We had hardly any time to train, so we always knew that it would take him time and that’s why he is so unlucky that he is now injured because I think we all saw with his goal against West Ham, with this goal [against Tottenham], that he got closer and closer to the player he was at Newcastle.”