Alexander Isak made a slow start to his life at Liverpool, scoring twice in his first 15 games for the Reds, before finding the back of the net in the victory at Tottenham
12:45, 03 Jan 2026Updated 12:47, 03 Jan 2026
Cesc Fabregas famously broke his leg while taking a penalty
Cesc Fabregas famously broke his leg while taking a penalty(Image: Getty Images)
Just when things were looking up for Alexander Isak, disaster struck.
While striking the ball for his third Liverpool goal, the Swedish striker was clattered into by Micky van de Ven. The Tottenham defender's strong, desperate challenge caused Isak's broken leg, with Liverpool refusing to put a time frame on the player's return.
It's now been two weeks since Isak suffered his injury during the 2-1 win at Tottenham. When you hear the words "broken leg," you assume it'll take months for that injury to heal. But could the former Newcastle star return to the pitch sooner rather than later?
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There's speculation that Isak could return within a month, although that feels very unlikely. Yet it doesn't always take a broken leg several months to heal.
Just ask Cesc Fabregas. The midfielder suffered a broken leg during Arsenal's Champions League game against Barcelona in March 2010 and was ruled out for the rest of the Premier League season, but he was named in Spain's World Cup squad within two months of the break.
Fabregas' injury was similar to Isak's. He was clattered into by Birmingham City midfielder Craig Gardner, weakening his leg, before colliding with Barcelona's Carlos Puyol. Fabregas' leg then finally gave way while taking a penalty against the Spanish side.
Alexander Isak suffered a broken leg against Tottenham
Alexander Isak suffered a broken leg against Tottenham(Image: Getty Images)
"The game before we played against Birmingham, and do you remember a play called Gardner, playing for Birmingham?" Fabregas told The Rest is Football podcast. "So midfielder, he hit me big time, like really strong, and I was limping, I was on crutches.
"I didn’t know if I was going to make the game against Barcelona, but for me, it was such a big game, so important.
"I didn’t train the three or four days before and the day of the game, in the morning before we met with the team, I just took a couple of laps of the Emirates to see how I was feeling and said, 'Oh, that's fine.'
"I go ahead, I took some anti-inflammatories and painkillers, and just played.
'It was one of those moments where I was fouled for the penalty by Puyol, my leg got stuck between his two legs, and I think that I felt a little reaction, and when I went strong to hit the penalty, I think something broke in there, and it wasn’t pleasant."
While Fabregas' injury took longer to diagnose than Isak's, it came from the same source: a strong challenge. Both players also suffered a fibula fracture (the smaller lower leg bone), with no damage to the tibia (the bigger lower leg bone). And they both left the field limping and didn't need to be stretchered off.
One difference between the injuries is that Isak also suffered ankle damage and underwent surgery. But, assuming Isak's ankle heals quickly (and that's a big if), perhaps he can take inspiration from Fabregas' speedy comeback from a broken leg.
Fabregas went on to play a key role in Spain's 2010 World Cup victory, providing the assist for Andres Iniesta's winner in the final against the Netherlands. Within three-and-a-bit months, Fabregas recovered from a broken leg to enjoy the defining moment of his career.
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Liverpool will hope Isak can do something similar come the business end of the season.