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Arne Slot explains decision to leave Alexander Isak out of Liverpool squad
Sep 14 2025 13:38 · By onefootball.com · 35 Reads
New £125m signing not named in Liverpool at Burnley
Arne Slot has explained his decision to leave Alexander Isak out of the Liverpool squad against Burnley.
The £125million summer signing was expected to make his Liverpool debut at Turf Moor but he was not included in the squad.
Slot said: “As everybody knew, he did not have any team training at Newcastle, then went to the national team and only played there for 15-20 minutes.
“We think, with a week when we played three games in seven days, this is the best lead-up for him to be available against Atletico Madrid.”
Isak trained with his new team-mates for the first time this week but he did not have a proper pre-season and missed the first three games of the season for Newcastle as he tried to force his move to Anfield.
After his transfer to Liverpool was completed on deadline day, he joined up with the Sweden squad for their latest pair of 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
He was an unused substitute in the 2-2 draw with Slovenia and only played 18 minutes off the bench in a 2-0 loss to Kosovo.
Isak remains well short of full match fitness and Slot has quickly moved to temper expectations with regards to his involvement in his early weeks at Liverpool.