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‘The plan is…’ – Arne Slot tipped to bench Liverpool summer signing for Burnley clash

Originally posted on Empire of the Kop | By Liam Togher | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 11:04 AM ET

Liverpool fans might have to be patient in waiting for their club-record signing to make his first start for the Reds.

The protracted Alexander Isak transfer saga finally came to an end on Monday night as the Premier League champions confirmed the Swedish striker’s arrival from Newcastle in a blockbuster £125m deal.

The 25-year-old is currently away with his country on international duty, but having not played or partaken in team training for more than three months, he’s alarmingly short on match fitness – and that’s by his own admission, too.

Isak set to be named on the bench in next Liverpool game

In his latest Liverpool Confidential Q&A, Lewis Steele outlined that Isak’s lack of match sharpness could see him being named on the bench when the Reds take on Burnley in their next game, rather than going straight into the starting XI.

The journalist stated: ‘If you think how long it has taken Alexis Mac Allister, for example, to get back up to speed after missing most of pre-season, then it is fair to assume Isak may take a few weeks before he is fully fit and firing.

‘The plan is for him to train with his new Liverpool team-mates when they report back for duty at the AXA Training Centre next Thursday, though, and I would expect to see him on the bench at Turf Moor for the game against Burnley providing there are no issues.

‘Liverpool are not planning any personal fitness programmes for Isak as it stands but performance lead Ruben Peeters will be keeping a close eye on his levels and he may be eased into training sessions – and ultimately matches – step by step.’

Liverpool wont take any unnecessary risks with Isak’s fitness

Obviously we’d all like to see Isak being handed his first Liverpool start as soon as possible, but it’d clearly be too much of a risk to throw him in at the deep end straight away at Turf Moor in 10 days’ time when he hasn’t played a match of any description since May.

Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has said that their medical team and LFC’s have been working in tandem on how to manage the striker’s fitness during the international break, and it’s been confirmed that he won’t play a full 90 minutes against either Slovenia or Kosovo.

The good news for Arne Slot is that, as things stand, he won’t have any need to rush the 25-year-old into the starting XI due to the fine form of Hugo Ekitike, who’s begun his own Reds career with three goals in four games and fully deserves his place in the line-up.

Liverpool will come back from the current pause to the season with an intense run of seven matches in 21 days, during which squad rotation will be paramount. If all goes to plan with Isak’s fitness management, we shouldn’t have to wait too much longer for him to get his first start for his new club.

Fingers crossed that he doesn’t suffer any setbacks during the international break and will return to Merseyside having had some much-need minutes on the pitch for his country.

This article first appeared on Empire of the Kop and was syndicated with permission.

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