Arne Slot reveals injury concern as Isak forced off early in Liverpool’s winover Frankfurt

Manager Arne Slot has revealed the reason behind striker Alexander Isak’s early substitution in Liverpool’s 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday evening.

The Swede was brought off at the start of the second half and was replaced by Federico Chiesa.

Slot has now revealed that Isak sustained an injury during their victory over the German side but he is hopeful it is not serious.

He told liverpoolfc.com: “When he came, he (Isak) hardly had trained, so you bring him step by step forward and then you feel there must be a moment where he can play twice a week. He did it with Sweden as well. But the first time we tried he had to go off and let’s hope it is not that bad.

“He had to come off because he felt his groin. Many people told me they wanted me to play him more and we had to find the balance and unfortunately that balance didn’t work out for us today perfectly. Let’s hope for the best.”

The Reds’ £125 million summer signing was handed his third consecutive start but failed to impress against Frankfurt’s vulnerable defence.

Isak registered the game’s first shot on target, forcing goalkeeper Michael Zetterer to make a save in the eighth minute but could only register one more attempt before his substitution.

He was barely involved, touching the ball 14 times and completed just four passes in Frankfurt’s half.

The 26-year-old also contributed little defensively as he registered one aerial and one ground duel apiece.

Isak was outshone yet again by fellow summer arrival Hugo Ekitike, who scored Liverpool’s first goal with a composed finish.

The Frenchman tormented his former club with his silky moves and was heavily involved in the build-up, showing Slot why he deserves to a regular place in his starting XI.

With uncertainty surrounding Isak’s fitness, Ekitike is likely to lead Liverpool’s attack in their Premier League clash at Brentford on Saturday.

Stats from sofascore.com