When will £125m Alexander Isak be at his ‘best level’ for Liverpool? Arne Slot talks ideal ‘scenario’ for three-goal striker

The Liverpool head coach has addressed the growing scrutiny surrounding Isak, insisting that the Swedish striker needs a full pre-season to finally reach his "best level" in a Red shirt. The 26-year-old, who arrived in a British-record £125 million deal last August, has endured a harrowing first year on Merseyside, including a four-month layoff with a broken leg.

Despite the heavy price tag, Isak has managed just three goals this season as he struggles to find rhythm in Slot's tactical setup. The Dutchman admitted that the "best scenario" involves a gradual build-up, acknowledging that the forward has been playing in "survival mode" rather than operating at peak physical capacity following his lengthy rehabilitation.

Speaking to the media, Slot outlined his hopes for Isak’s long-term development, suggesting that a busy international schedule might actually assist his recovery. The Dutchman believes that finding a consistent rhythm is the key to seeing the player who dominated at St James’ Park.

"The World Cup won't hinder him," Slot revealed. "What would be the best scenario, not 100%, a very good pre-season of six weeks would have been very good lead up, but if he has a good World Cup and plays a lot of games then that will be helpful."

"Usually tempo at international level is lower than Premier League but I'm happy he is back.He has had a lot of months without training with the team. In the middle of season when everyone else is fit, it's not easy to come back, but we are seeing progress. I don't know when his best level will be, but I'm hoping for ourselves and him it's very soon."

Additionally, Slot also discussed Mohamed Salah's productivity, who has only scored seven Premier League goals this season. While goals have been hard to come by this season, the manager noted that despite a slight decrease in chance creation, the main issue is a lack of sharpness in front of goal compared to Liverpool's prolific season last year.

"It's really important for us that we have attackers that score goals," Slot added. "Success last season was multiple attackers scoring lots, this season we aren't scoring as many. There is a little drop off in chance creation but not as much as the goalscoring you would expect."

"With Mo said many times there's always part in the season where ball falls to you and you don't have to do much to score, and others you do so much and it just doesn't work. Normally things go back to normal and normal for Mo at Liverpool is scoring goals."

Liverpool host Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon facing a severe selection headache, with up to 11 players potentially unavailable. Slot is waiting on late fitness tests for several first-team stars, while third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman is expected to start following injuries to both Alisson Becker and Giorgi Mamardashvili. Isak is likely to feature as he continues to build up match minutes, though Slot has warned fans not to expect a full 90-minute performance just yet.