Ex-Liverpool player delivers big Alexander Isak warning

Liverpool brought in two major signings in Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak this summer, but the Swedish striker, who is a British record signing, has failed to impress at Anfield, and now former Liverpool player Stephen Warnock warns that Isak might not have an impact until next season.

There were high expectations for Liverpool this season, as they made a lot of signings, including Ekitike and Isak, but the Merseyside club currently finds themselves in seventh place in the Premier League.

That, of course, doesn’t reflect on the high ambitions the club has, especially after winning the league title last season in the first year of Arne Slot’s stewardship.

A lot of people have blamed the big changes over the summer, including the signing of Isak who hasn`t delivered as expected. Now, former Reds star Stephen Warnock has said that he doesn’t expect that to change in the near future.

Ekitike has been outstanding

With Isak underperforming and Ekitike thriving, Liverpool have been criticised for signing two similar players. Warnock, however, explains that the decision to sign both of them was driven by the tragic incident with Diogo Jota.

"I think this is an interesting one. I don't think they'd have signed both players had it not been for the horrific tragedy with Diogo Jota. If that had not happened, I think they would have only signed one striker plus Florian Wirtz."

"They sort of realised that they'd be low on numbers and they might need to sign another striker. I think they would have gone for Isak and then Ekitike became available and they added him in."

Ekitike has so far contributed with 10 goals and one assist, while Isak has scored two goals and made one assist. Warnock has hailed the Frenchman’s impact and admits he didn’t expect him to be so prominent right from the get go.

"I don't think they would have thought that Ekitike would be as prominent as he has been and play as well as he is. I think they thought he was more of a future buy and someone who could be a backup to Isak. Someone who could come off the bench and slowly be integrated into the team."

"But since Ekitike's come to the football club, he has embraced playing for Liverpool. He thrives off it and loves it. I think he's been outstanding. I understand why they bought both players."

Ekitike is likely to feature this weekend against Tottenham Hotspur, and he is currently priced at 11/8 to find the back of the net. If you fancy backing him to do so, you can use our bet365 bonus code.

Isak won’t be fit until next season

The former England international warns Liverpool and their fans that the Swedish striker might not be fit until next season, as he didn’t have a full pre-season. Isak did train individuall,y but Warnock explains why to be truly match fit, you need to be training with your teammates.

"From Isak's POV, I have my own podcast with my fitness coach, and one of the things we discussed was that he's not fit and he won't get fit until next season because when you come into a football club and haven't done a full pre-season with players, it's very difficult to get up to speed."

"When you are talking about doing runs on your own, you're not getting pushed by anyone. What I mean by that is if there's a 1k run to do and the fitness coach says you've got four minutes to complete that run, you'll amble around and get it done in around that time.”

Warnock continues by saying that a pre-season can give Isak the competitive edge he is lacking.

“You might push yourself a little bit. If I start running with him or a player starts running with him, it becomes competitive and that's how you get your fitness over time. It makes you push yourself and you get fitter. You need that competitive edge when you're in a pre-season."

The consequences of Isak not being fit

Speaking of the consequences, he says that Isak will have little impact for Liverpool this season, which will help Ekitike climb higher up the pecking order.

"When he came to the football club, they said they'll put him on a mini pre-season. I watched him against Southampton in the Carabao Cup and he played the first 45 minutes and then at half-time, he started doing runs. But he ran on his own again. So the runs aren't competitive. There was nothing competitive at Liverpool to push him."

"I just don't think we're going to see anything from Isak this year. I watched him numerous times where he doesn't look fit enough. He doesn't look sharp and confident in his body to accelerate away from people.”

Warnock concludes by saying that both Isak and the fans are probably wondering about why he is not able to do what he used to do, while stating that he believes he will be able to show his quality again next season.

“He's probably thinking to himself, 'I used to be able to do this' and people in the stands are thinking that's not the Isak I saw at Newcastle. Well it's not because he's not fit enough and he's not ready to play in the Premier League at the highest level."

"We spoke on the podcast and we said he won't be ready till next season and maybe that's where we see Hugo Ekitike accelerate past Isak and Isak will have to bide his time a little bit more."

Liverpool has failed to impress throughout the first half of the campaign, but while there are still hopes for the Merseyside club, if Warnock is right, fans will have to wait until next season to see the best version of Alexander Isak.

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