Arne Slot confirmed Alexander Isak was replaced 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 the break as 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 side.
After the Champions League encounter – which brought an end to a four-match losing run – Reds boss Slot confirmed Isak came off because of injury.
He told TNT Sports: “Alexander had to go off at half-time because he felt his groin a little bit. That’s a pity.
“I’ve said many times it is such a difficult balance to find with a player that missed three months.
Hugo Ekitike started alongside Alexander Isak in the Champions League encounter
“You go slowly 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 off.
“Let’s hope for the best but it is not an easy balance to find 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 able to score goals. Alex was a few times close but had to go off at half-time.
“Normally you try to prepare players for once-a-week football, but if you are Liverpool you play every three days or normally three times in eight days but we’ve been unfortunate this season we have to play three times in seven days.
“We’ve tried to prepare him for that, 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 from the Daily Mail claims that Alexander Isak has lost his belief and instinct as a striker and believes it’s more than just a fitness issue.
“We thought he was well prepared for that but the margins at the top are small. I’m hoping it won’t be that bad, because if he’s out for a few weeks it will put him back. So let’s wait.”
On starting with Alexander Isak on Wednesday, Ekitike added: “I think it was good. It was not our best half together, but we can improve together.
“He’s a very good player and in time, we need to work together and find a good association. The links will come and then it will work.”
Right-back Jeremie Frimpong’s stop-start to the campaign also continued after he was ruled out for a “few 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 was relieved after the thrashing of Frankfurt, and added an insight into the differences between the match 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 compared 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 are 1-0 or 2-1 down.
Ibrahima Konate scored Liverpool’s third goal
“But the main 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.
“Then people focused more on the attacks we had in the second half rather than the misplaced passes, which we probably had as well. But when you’re 3-1 up, you are judged differently.”
Ekitike: I wouldn’t be here without Frankfurt
Hugo Ekitike scored against his former club, Eintracht Frankfurt, in the Champions League game
It was a quick return to Frankfurt for Ekitike, who joined Liverpool from the Bundesliga club this summer. He scored too, refusing to celebrate in the aftermath, and credited Frankfurt with making him the player he is now.
“I had to [score],” he told TNT Sports. “It was a great feeling and it was something special for me to come back, I would say at home.
“I know everybody 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 to me. I will 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, and said 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 told TNT Sports.
“I’ve been in the football business for a while so I wouldn’t say it’s relief [at winning], but we were disappointed with losing games.
“I don’t think it’s happened in my time, losing four in a row. That’s something you have to deal with as a group, stick together, block the outside noise and keep working.
“The only way to perform in the best way possible is to focus on the task ahead and perform as a team – that’s the only way to win games.
“We obviously have the individual quality or you wouldn’t play for Liverpool, but you have to do it together to be successful. So keep going and don’t get dragged into that stuff [outside noise].
“Today, we won. We got three points on the board, now we recover and get ready for Brentford.”