Michael Owen believes Alexander Isak has exhausted the excuses for his difficult start at Liverpool and must now begin producing the performances expected of him after regaining full fitness.
The Sweden striker, 26, endured a challenging first season at Anfield after joining Liverpool, with much of his struggle attributed to a lack of full match sharpness and a serious injury.
Isak subsequently completed a lengthy rehabilitation programme, represented Sweden at the World Cup and went through a full pre-season campaign. He is now considered fully fit and played the first complete 90 minutes of his Liverpool career in Sunday’s match.
However, his display against former club Newcastle United was subdued. Isak failed to make a significant impact as he faced sustained pressure from the home supporters at St James’ Park.
Owen, the former Liverpool striker, said the period of patience had come to an end and that Isak should now be judged against the high standards he set for himself during his time at Newcastle United.
“I suffered a lot of injuries during my career, so I know how difficult it is to come back and that you need some time,” Owen said in comments highlighted by Tribuna.
“We gave him that time, and everyone gave him that time and understood it. But he finished the season, went to the World Cup and has now had a pre-season, so you start to think: okay, we are now beginning to run out of excuses.”
Owen added: “We need to start seeing the real Isak. We know how good he is; we saw him at Newcastle, and he is a top-class player. But we have not seen that with Liverpool yet, and I think the questions will now start.”
Isak’s first campaign at Liverpool has therefore been assessed in the context of the fitness problems that restricted his preparation and availability. The club and supporters had accepted that he would require time to recover fully and adapt, but his return to complete training and match participation has increased expectations.
His appearance against Newcastle United marked an important step in that process, although Owen believes the forward must now turn his physical recovery into a consistent level of performance. The former England striker’s criticism is based on the contrast between Isak’s reputation and the form he previously showed at St James’ Park.
Isak’s spell with Newcastle United established him as a highly regarded forward, while his move to Liverpool created expectations that he would become an influential figure for the club. Owen’s comments suggest those expectations are now being applied more firmly because the circumstances previously used to explain the player’s struggles are no longer present.
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