Where is Alexander Isak?! Why Liverpool's £125m man missed out on Man City FA Cup showdown despite injury return - explained

Expectations were high that Isak would at least take a place on the bench for the trip to Manchester, especially given the magnitude of the fixture. The former Newcastle man has been sidelined since December with a serious ankle injury that included a fibula fracture. However, the decision was made to omit the £125 million ($165m) man from the squad entirely. It seems the medical staff and coaching team erred on the side of caution, prioritising the player's long-term availability over a high-intensity cameo against Pep Guardiola’s side.

While some supporters hoped for a surprise inclusion, the reality of Isak's fitness levels made a call-up a bridge too far. Following 101 days of recovery, the intensity of two training sessions was deemed insufficient preparation for the physical demands of an FA Cup showdown against the Cityzens.

The Athletic’s James Pearce provided further clarity on the situation via social media, confirming that the club would not be rushed into a decision that could risk a relapse. Pearce wrote on X: "The decision was taken that it's too soon for Alexander Isak to be involved after just two full training sessions following over three months out."

Speaking ahead of the fixture, head coach Arne Slot was realistic about the striker's condition and the timeline required to get him back to competitive speed. The Dutch manager noted that while Isak is back in the mix, he is far from being ready to lead the line in a game of this intensity after such a lengthy spell on the treatment table.

Speaking ahead of the game to TNT Sport, the Dutchman said: "You always do these things in co-operation with medical staff, performance staff and the player himself. We came to the conclusion that it was better for him to have a few more sessions than only one or two and then immediately jump into a game like this, where if you bring him in there might be extra-time. The situation is now that I hope that he will be available for Wednesday, but today came too early for him."

Man City (4-2-3-1): James Trafford, Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guehi, Nico O'Reilly; Rodri, Bernardo Silva; Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Jeremy Doku; Erling Haaland

Subs: Tijjani Reijnders, Nathan Ake, Omar Marmoush, Mateo Kovacic, Nico Gonzalez, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Savinho, Phil Foden

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Giorgio Mamardashvili; Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones; Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz; Hugo Ekitike

Subs: Alexis Mac Allister, Federico Chiesa, Cody Gakpo, Andrew Robertson, Freddie Woodman, Jeremie Frimpong, Trey Nyoni, Kieran Morrison, Rio Ngumoha