Liverpool forward Alexander Isak shared his thoughts after suffering a fractured leg in the 2-1 Premier League win at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, with the hosts ending the game a man short.
Following Xami Simons' first-half dismissal for Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London, Isak broke the deadlock 11 minutes into the second period.
Hugo Ekitike doubled the visitors' advantage 10 minutes later before Richarlison pulled one back seven minutes from time. But the Reds held on for a second straight win to improve to fifth in the standings, 10 points behind leaders Arsenal (39).
However, victory was soured by Isak's injury, with the Swede getting injured from a late challenge from Spurs defender Micky van de Ven, while scoring. Following surgery on his ankle and lower leg on Monday, Isak faces a long period on the sidelines. The Reds tweeted Isak posting on social media (via GOAL):
"Gutted to be out for a while. Time to recover and support from the sideline. I will work hard to be back as soon as I possibly can. Thank you all reds and everyone else for the kind messages, it does not go unnoticed."
Isak arrived this summer at Anfield on a reported British record £125 million move from Newcastle United.
Injury expert predicts Liverpool striker Alexander Isak's expected return
Liverpool striker Alexander Isak
Liverpool striker Alexander Isak
Alexander Isak has had a slow start to life at Liverpool following his summer arrival from Newcastle United. The 26-year-old has scored just twice in 10 Premier League outings.
Injury expert Ben Dinnery reckons Isak could be out for at least six to eight weeks, which could be longer if the player suffers setbacks during his long recovery, telling Casino Beats (via GOAL):
"With a fractured fibula, the extent of the injury will naturally depend on the severity. The standard time out for this kind of injury is usually six to eight weeks, but Isak's ankle problem and subsequent surgery has complicated that. The recovery process may involve setbacks - rarely do players have a clear and uninterrupted path back to full fitness in these circumstances.
"It felt like we were beginning to see Isak perform at similar levels to his Newcastle career, whereby he was approaching higher levels of fitness, having missed pre-season entirely.
Nevertheless, Dinnery expressed hope that Alexander Isak hasn't suffered a season-ending injury, concluding:
"The harsh reality is, Isak will likely return towards the back end of the season, be given minutes to slowly bring him up to speed again, but the focus will be on having a really strong pre-season going into next year."
Arne Slot's Liverpool are next in action at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday (December 27), their final game of the year, before hosting Leeds United on New Year's Day.