‘We will hopefully see the best of Isak when he returns’published at 10:17 GMT
10:17 GMT
Nottingham Forest v Liverpool (Sun, 14:00 GMT)
Here’s a bit more from Liverpool boss Arne Slot on Alexander Isak’s recovery following the news that the Sweden striker has begun stepping up his rehabilitation from injury:
“It’s nice for him to go on the pitch and it’s nice for us to see him there. There’s still enough work to be done but you do know, as a player, you arrive in the final stages of your rehab. When you’re in the gym and not on the pitch, that’s not the nicest part.
“Next step is doing ball with the work, which every player likes most, and then into the group. Then it takes a while before you’re ready to play.”
On whether Slot expects to see the best of Isak when he returns: “That gives us a different player to what we have now. But we are also expecting a different player at the end of the season than we had in the first part, which makes complete sense because I’ve said it a hundred times that I think we have to give him time.
“If a player has been out for four or five months only in individual training, we cannot expect that he’s up to speed straight away, so unfortunately for him and for us we haven’t used the best Alex yet but this club and our fans will see the best Alex hopefully this season but for sure in the upcoming years.
“Let’s not put a timescale on it, but it’s clear that he will be available if everything goes as planned this season.”