Liverpool's recent 5-1 Champions League victory over Eintracht Frankfurt has been overshadowed by an injury concern regarding striker Alexander Isak. The Swedish international was substituted at halftime, with manager Arne Slot confirming that Isak felt a groin issue.
"Alex (Isak) had to go off at half-time because he felt his groin a bit," Slot stated after the match. "Unfortunately he had to go off, so let's hope for the best".
The injury is particularly worrying given Isak's disrupted pre-season, following his high-profile move from Newcastle United this summer for a reported British record fee of £125 million. Slot acknowledged the difficulty in managing Isak's workload after the game. "It's such a difficult balance to find with a player like this who missed three months," Slot explained. "You bring him slowly, bring him slowly and maybe sometimes argue you cannot play him more often or longer and now we play him for the second time in three days and unfortunately, he had to go off".
Isak's absence would be a significant blow to Liverpool, who are aiming to build on their emphatic win against Frankfurt after a recent run of poor form. While other players like Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Cody Gakpo, and Dominik Szoboszlai managed to get on the scoresheet in the game against Eintracht Frankfurt, Isak has only scored one goal since joining Liverpool, which came against Southampton in the Carabao Cup. He has yet to find the net in the Premier League or Champions League for his new club.
This latest setback adds to a frustrating start to his Liverpool career, as he struggles to find his form. The club will be hoping that the injury is not serious, with Isak potentially facing a period on the sidelines. The extent of the injury is currently unknown, and the club is awaiting further assessment to determine the length of his absence.
The game against Eintracht Frankfurt also saw Jeremie Frimpong forced off in the 18th minute with a hamstring injury. Slot confirmed that Frimpong had a similar issue earlier in the campaign. "Jeremie is a hamstring issue. He came back from a hamstring injury a few weeks ago, played for the national team one game and unfortunately, he played one game and had to go off". Liverpool will be hoping that both Isak and Frimpong can recover quickly, as they navigate a busy schedule.
