Arne Slot confirmed that Alexander Isak was substituted at half-time of Liverpool’s 5-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt due to a groin injury.
The striker started alongside Hugo Ekitike in Germany but his night was ended at half-time when he was replaced by Federico Chiesa.
Isak’s form has come under scrutiny since his £125m move. from Newcastle this summer, having only scored in the Carabao Cup for his new team.
After the Champions League encounter – which brought an end to a four-game losing run – Reds boss Slot confirmed that Isak was sidelined through injury.
He told TNT Sports: “Alexander had to come off at half-time because he felt his groin a little bit. It’s a shame.
“I have said many times that it is so difficult to find a balance with a player who missed three months.
“You go slow with him and people argue about playing him longer. We’ve now played him for the second time in three days and unfortunately he had to go.
“Let’s hope for the best, but it’s not an easy balance to strike when a player has been out for so long.”
He later added in his press conference: “Today with Alex and Hugo, I brought two players on the pitch who are usually capable of scoring goals. Alex was close a couple of times but had to go off at half-time.
“Usually you try to prepare the players for football once a week, but if you are Liverpool you play every three days or normally three times in eight days, but we have been unlucky this season that we have to play three times in seven days.
“We tried to prepare him for it, we were really careful and he was perfectly fit when he came back from the national team before the United game.
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Speaking on Back Pages Tonight, Craig Hope of the Daily Mail claims Alexander Isak has lost his belief and instinct as a striker and believes it is more than just a fitness issue.
“We thought he was well prepared for it but the margins at the top are slim. I hope it won’t be that bad because if he’s out for a couple of weeks it will set him back. So let’s wait.”
Starting with Alexander Isak on Wednesday, Ekitike added: “I think it was good. It wasn’t our best half together but we can improve together.
“He is a very good player and in time we have to work together and find a good association. The connections will come and then it will work.”
Right-back Jeremie Frimpong’s stop-start campaign also continued after he was ruled out for “a couple of weeks” with a hamstring injury which saw him replaced by Conor Bradley in the first half.
Jeremie Frimpong was also taken off for Liverpool in the first half with a hamstring injury
Slot: We needed a win
Slot were relieved after the thrashing of Frankfurt and added an insight into the differences between the game in Germany and their previous four defeats.
He added to TNT Sports: “We needed a win. What we needed more was another performance where we create a lot of chances but the players get the reward with a win. That’s what happened.
“I saw a lot of similarities to the other games because the first chance they got was a goal – maybe it was the only chance they had – and we went 3-1 up and it’s maybe easier to control a game when you’re 3-1 up than if you’re 1-0 or 2-1 down.
Ibrahima Konate scored Liverpool’s third goal
“But the biggest difference between this game and the four before was that in most of them the other team scored from a set piece and this time we scored from two set pieces.
“So people focused more on the attacks we had in the second half, rather than the misplaced passes, which we probably also had. But when you’re 3-1 up, you’re judged differently.”
Ekitike: I wouldn’t be here without Frankfurt
Hugo Ekitike scored against his former club, Eintracht Frankfurt, in the Champions League match
It was a swift return to Frankfurt for Ekitike, who joined Liverpool from the Bundesliga club in the summer. He also scored and refused to celebrate in the aftermath, crediting Frankfurt for making him the player he is now.
“I had to [score]” he told TNT Sports. “It was a fantastic feeling and it was something special for me to come back, I would say at home.
“I know everyone here so it was a special game for me and to win and score my first goal in the Champions League, I’m really happy.
“I have so much respect for them. They made me the player I am right now, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t come to Frankfurt.
“So I come and be respectful and grateful for what they gave me. I want to keep what I learned here and the value they gave me with me in the future.”
Van Dijk: Not a statement, but it’s a win
Virgil van Dijk scored Liverpool’s second goal against Eintracht Frankfurt
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was also on the scoresheet in Germany, saying the only way to find the winning touch again was to stick together as a group.
“I don’t know if it’s a statement, but it’s a win and something to build on,” he said TNT Sports.
“I’ve been in the football business for a while so I wouldn’t say it’s a relief [at winning]but we were disappointed to lose games.
“I don’t think that’s happened in my time, losing four in a row. It’s something you have to deal with as a group, stick together, block out the outside noise and keep working.
“The only way to perform in the best possible way is to focus on the task at hand and perform as a team – that’s the only way to win games.
“Obviously we have that individual quality or you wouldn’t be playing for Liverpool, but you have to do it together to be successful. So go ahead and don’t get drawn into that thing. [outside noise].
“Today we won. We got three points on the board, now we recover and get ready for Brentford.”