'I have to mess up the party again' - Liverpool boss Arne Slot provides Alexander Isak injury update

Isak’s dream move to Liverpool has transformed into a fitness ordeal. Since his £125 million switch from Newcastle United, the Swedish international has struggled to replicate the prolific form that saw him become one of the Premier League's most feared marksmen. After arriving without a full pre-season, his progress was further halted by a groin injury during Liverpool's 5-1 Champions League win against Eintracht Frankfurt in October 2025.

The defining blow came in December during a victory over Tottenham. Despite scoring in the 2-1 win, Isak suffered a leg break that has kept him sidelined for over three months. With the striker yet to feature in 2026, the Reds are forced to navigate a grueling schedule without the most expensive player in the club's history.

Discussing Isak's latest condition, Slot admitted he was resigned and could only hope the striker would make a full recovery soon. He gave the Swedish player his full support and took a cautious approach to avoid further risks.

"I have to mess up the party again. Let's say [he comes back] at the beginning of April, he has been out for three-and-a-half months and hasn't trained with the team for three-and-a-half months. The last time he did that, it took him a while to get up to speed," Slot said, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

"I am really, really looking forward to having him back, but don't get the expectations so high that the minute he's on the pitch, he's at the level of what we spent that money on."

Addressing the possibility of Isak joining the Sweden national team for the upcoming international break, Slot also remained pessimistic. The Dutchman suggested that club and country cooperation is unlikely to result in Isak seeing minutes before the domestic season resumes.

"If you ask me now I would say I don’t expect [Isak to go on duty with Sweden for their World Cup play-off against Ukraine]," Slot said. "But we are still one and a half weeks off, there is always co-operation between club and country but I don’t expect him to play for us before that."

Isak will continue his recovery from injury with the goal of returning by the end of April. This season, he has only appeared in 16 matches across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing one assist.

Meanwhile, the Reds will battle on both domestically and in Europe without Isak. They currently sit sixth in the Premier League, three points adrift of the top four, and face Tottenham in their next match. After that, Slot's men will turn their attention to the Champions League, where they will face Galatasaray in the second leg of their round of 16 tie looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.