Saunders was Liverpool's top scorer in his only season with the Reds in 1991/92
Saunders was Liverpool's top scorer in his only season with the Reds in 1991/92(Image: Liverpool Echo)
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Alexander Isak's goals could be the difference between success and failure for Liverpool next season, but Dean Saunders has told the Reds they should avoid heading into the new campaign without a plan B.
Isak - Liverpool's £125m record signing - flattered to deceive across 22 appearances in all competitions in his debut season at Anfield. Missing pre-season to force his way out of Newcastle United and then breaking his leg while scoring against Tottenham Hotspur meant the 26-year-old was constantly playing catch-up to the more impressive Hugo Ekitike.
However, the two strikers' fortunes have since been reversed. Ekitike went on to suffer a serious injury of his own, rupturing his Achilles tendon against PSG in April, while Isak looked much sharper putting in a string of positive performances for Sweden at the World Cup.
Former Liverpool striker Saunders, though, who partnered Ian Rush up front in the 1991/92 season, warned his old club against relying too heavily on the Swede.
Speaking to LiveFootballTickets, Saunders said: "Isak is going to be a huge factor for Liverpool next season, he needs to have a big year and stay injury-free.
"Everybody thought when Liverpool signed him last season that was the title over. Before a ball was kicked, everyone thought Liverpool were almost guaranteed to retain the league and look what happened.
"It went so badly for both him and Liverpool that it makes me think surely it can't happen again. However, his injury record is terrible, and when you spend £125m on a striker you want them on the pitch as much as possible, scoring goals and leading the team.
"I think keeping him fit is the key to Liverpool's season. If they keep him fit, he's a 30-goals-a-season striker, and they can potentially win the Premier League.
"Given his injury record, I think signing another striker would be a sensible option for Liverpool before the end of the window."
Liverpool have been most heavily linked with Bradley Barcola in terms of attacking signings this summer. The 23-year-old winger has played centrally for PSG but is not a natural striker.
According to Transfermarkt, Isak missed 30 games for Liverpool last season through injury or fitness. Over his previous two seasons at Newcastle, he missed 17 in total.
While the Swede's injury record had improved prior to his swapping the North East for Merseyside, Liverpool will have to hope that last season's disruption will have no further impact on the season to come.
Rotation will likely be required to reduce the load on Isak, and Saunders has tipped his compatriot Lewis Koumas to step up to the challenge of being a genuine squad option for the Reds.
Koumas scored the fourth goal in a 4-2 win over Sunderland in Andoni Iraola's first pre-season friendly on Saturday (July 25), and enjoyed a strong second half of last season on loan at Hull City as he helped the Tigers win promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs.
"We've certainly seen it before at Liverpool, haven't we," Saunders said, "so I'm not sure I could rule out Lewis Koumas coming into the side and making an impression.
"Liverpool's history has been built on homegrown young strikers like Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler. Liverpool will give anyone a chance who has played through the ranks and started banging goals in.
"I really hope he gets the chance to play, but if he does, he needs to be aware that he must perform from the beginning. Liverpool will have hundreds of millions of pounds of talent on the bench if he gets a few starts, and he needs to prove quickly he can keep up with them.
"Craig Bellamy has had him in the Wales team and said his best position is playing up front, so I think Liverpool must see that too. Lewis needs to watch all of Liverpool's most talented players in training and emulate what they are doing every day, and he might get a look in.
"He needs to stay sharp and wait for his opportunity at Liverpool, which I'm sure will come."