Arne Slot Confirms Alexander Isak Return Date After Hugo Ekitike Injury Blow

Liverpool lost their only fit striker in the early stages of Saturday’s defeat to Brighton.

Liverpool have struggled with injuries all season. | Joe Prior/Visionhaus/Glyn KIRK/AFP/Getty Images

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has revealed he expects Alexander Isak to make his long-awaited return from injury in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain next month, as he played down concerns of a problem for Hugo Ekitike.

Ekitike has led the line in the absence of Isak, who suffered a fractured fibula against Tottenham Hotspur in December and has not played since. Sweden manager Graham Potter had backed Isak to return in time for this month’s international break but ultimately accepted defeat earlier this week.

Fans may not have to wait much longer; however, Slot urged supporters to be patient as Isak works to rediscover his best form.

“Alex will available [for PSG], yes,” Slot confirmed. “The question is what you mean around ‘being ready.’

“If you want to have the player who played exactly a year ago against us in the Carabao Cup final and was too good for us on that day, then I would tell you I have my doubts about that after seven or eight months out.

“But I expect that I can use him for minutes. Exactly what I get from that I cannot tell you because he hasn’t trained with the team even once.”

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Slot Unconcerned by Ekitike Blow

Hugo Ekitiké limped off against Brighton. | Shaun Brooks/CameraSport/Getty Images

Before that PSG game, Liverpool have the not-so-small matter of the FA Cup quarterfinal against Manchester City to contest.

Isak will not be ready for that one and it appeared as though Ekitike may be forced to miss out after he limped off early in Saturday’s 2–1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in evident distress.

Fortunately for Reds fans, Slot confirmed he expects the Frenchman to make a very swift recovery.

“Hugo, I think he could play tomorrow if you needed [him] to,” Slot confessed. “It was a dead leg, as you call it here.

“Brighton did what we expected. If you face a team that has only had 62 hours of rest, and the first thing you do is make it an intense game, play the first duels, tough duels ... nothing wrong with the duels, by the way.

“But unfortunately, it was a collision, and that led to Hugo going out.

“That’s not helpful if you have to, after two minutes, continue without one of the best strikers that the league has seen in the last three or four years, already not available throughout the whole season, Alexander Isak.

“One of the best scorers the league has seen in the last eight years not being available with Mo Salah, and then missing out on Hugo Ekitike, who has had a lot of impact this season.

“And then, as so many [times] this season, you have to find a way of playing players in positions they’re maybe not used to.”

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