Alexander Isak is set to miss Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Saturday with a groin issue likely to rule him out of a third game in a row.
Isak, 26, has endured a slow start to life on Merseyside following his £130million move from Newcastle United.
Having had no pre-season campaign as a result of that protracted transfer saga, the Sweden international has struggled to rediscover match sharpness, unable to replicate the form that made him one of the league’s most feared strikers on Tyneside.
Isak was taken off at half-time in Liverpool’s 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League last Wednesday – Liverpool’s only victory in their last seven games.
The groin injury ruled him out of last weekend’s defeat at Brentford, also missing the Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace midweek with Slot confirming on Friday morning he is ’99.9 per cent likely’ to miss the visit of Villa on Saturday night.
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Isak has struggled with groin injuries in the past. Across his last two seasons at Newcastle, the former Real Sociedad star missed 13 games as a result of groin problems with his former manager Eddie Howe and his staff at Newcastle working diligently during their time together on the training pitch to make him as robust as possible.
Liverpool have not disclosed any further details on Isak’s current issue with no indication he is facing a spell out beyond this weekend.
But if the issue currently sidelining the striker is a recurrence of an older problem, Isak could be facing a significantly longer period out of the team.
Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs which specialises in injury welfare and performance analytics, insists it is far too early to determine the severity of Isak’s issue.
But studies carried out with Uefa suggest a recurrence of older issues will generally see players sidelines for up to twice as along as those struck down with a fresh issue.
‘It is impossible for us right now to tell if it is the same injury or not,’ Smith told Metro. ‘What we know is if this is a first time injury and completely unrelated (to previous injuries) it is would likely result in a shorter time away from the game compared to if it is a recurrence of a previous injury.
‘Research has shown it would likely be double the amount of time lost (if it is a recurrence), or close to double the amount of time lost.
‘Liverpool will have extreme clarity over whether it is a recurrence of the same injury or not. UEFA have published really good research into groin injuries in the last number of years. In September 2021 they showed how often it happens and how long players normally lose from those injuries and they suggested it is generally 15 to 28 days for a first time injury, looking at averages. A follow up piece of research showcased the length of time you miss for a recurring injury would be double.
‘Liverpool will absolutely have clarity over it and obviously that will have an impact on how they manage and treat that injury. Liverpool have taken a really smart and conservative approach to managing a new player like Isak who is coming into a new environment after no preseason.
‘We are in a scenario now where we do not know what it is yet. We haven’t seen how they are approaching the management of his return to play. So it is a bit too early to say.’