Alexander Isak returns to training with striking new look as £125m man prepares for injury comeback

The former Newcastle United forward has been absent since December after undergoing surgery on a fibula fracture sustained against Tottenham. After months of rehabilitation away from the spotlight, the striker was spotted back on the grass with his team-mates this week. His return comes at a crucial time for the club as they return from the international break. Sporting a new beard during training, Isak looks ready to return to action for the remainder of the season.

Liverpool manager Slot expressed his delight at seeing the 26-year-old back in the fold, noting that the timing of his return was perfect, both for the Reds and for the player's ambitions of representing Sweden at the World Cup.

"I think Alex is in a really good place because Sweden qualified for the World Cup yesterday evening and apart from that he's going to train with the group again for the first time tomorrow," Slot told Liverpoolfc.com. "If you've worked so hard for three, four months or something like that and then to return to team training, that's for everyone very nice. So Alex is, in that sense, in a good place."

While the medical staff will likely manage his playing time carefully, Slot is fully aware of the clinical edge Isak adds to the team's current attack.

"Of course it's only his first session, after three or four months [out], with the team but it's good to have him back because we all know who we signed and we've signed an incredible striker," he added. "So to have him again in a team that's usually generating quite a lot of chances – and maybe not immediately from the first moment that he can start – but to have him back for the last two months is, I think, very helpful for us."

Isak's return coincided with the squad's preparations for their FA Cup quarter-final at Manchester City this Saturday. The match represents a massive hurdle in Liverpool's quest for silverware, and having Isak back in the building provides a timely moral boost. While he is not expected to start straight away, he could get some minutes under his belt before the Reds face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League next week.