Arne Slot piles pressure on Alexander Isak and makes Liverpool vs Man Utd demand

Arne Slot has declared that Alexander Isak is primed to start repaying his £125million transfer fee to Liverpool, beginning with the clash against Manchester United on Sunday. Isak's move to Anfield on transfer deadline day was a British record fee, but the contentious nature of his departure from Newcastle United meant he arrived without the advantage of a pre-season schedule. After instigating a strike to secure his move to Merseyside, Isak was forced to train alone during his final weeks in Tyneside, which has impacted his initial performances for his new club.

The Swedish international has been on the pitch for 312 out of the 630 minutes played by Liverpool since his signing at the start of September, but having also made two appearances for his national team during the break, Slot is now counting on his No.9 to start delivering. "I used the word 'judge' but I don't mean judge," Slot stated.

"I think not me, but the outside world can from now on say we have the one we signed, that is better so the first five or six weeks, of course we had the player we signed but he was not completely ready yet. He was just getting fitter and fitter but just had to do this in a Premier League game. This is not normal for a player.

"I think I have said many times we have signed him for six years so if we want him somewhere we have to go through this period of playing him where ideally you would use him earlier in a friendly match than a Premier League game or a Champions League game.

"But there is no time in In the midst of the season for a friendly match, we had to build him up playing Premier League matches and I believe you have to be at your best to make a difference at this level.

"You can play at this level if you are perhaps 80 or 90 or 95 per cent but if you want to make a difference at the highest level of football, because that is what the Premier League is, then you need to be 100 per cent. It applies to every player and I think I can confidently say he is 100% now.

"[I want to see] goals. That is the simplest thing but to be the leader in pressing from our front three, there we can improve as well, that is something he needs to do but Hugo Ekitike the same.

"Of course you are a No.9 at Liverpool, you need to score goals but that is what he has always done in his life. The only thing he needs to be is fit and if he is fit, our team is still creating the most chances from open play in the Premier League and we have the most shots on target in the Premier League from open play."