Liverpool pressed on. Alexander Isak pressed on. It was an “ugly” process at Newcastle, where the Swede was finally able to put his signature on the Liverpool contract on the last day of the transfer window. The supporters in the red part of Liverpool cheered to get the Premier League’s second highest scoring player this season, while Newcastle supporters raged. With a price tag of £125 million, Isak was now going to show he was worth the money by scoring Liverpool to back-to-back titles. As you know, everything went but according to plan. Heading into the 2026/27 season, there is a Swede who will have to show himself already in the friendly matches.
This is what Liverpool supporters expect and demand. Because if there is one player who needs a good pre-season for Liverpool this year, it is Alexander Isak. The Swede missed most of last season due to a combination of injury and form issues, and he also did not train in the summer of 2025 when he tried to force a move from Newcastle United to Anfield.
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However, Isak has not been selected in Liverpool’s first pre-season squad for the US tour, meaning he will miss the Sunderland game before joining the squad for the final two games. The striker participated in the 2026 World Cup with Sweden last month, and had to be eliminated from the competition in the round of eight. Their last game was a 3-0 loss to France on June 30, and according to FIFA rules, Isak had to take 21 days off before he could return to Liverpool.
That means he should have been back at the club on July 21, which has led a number of fans to question his absence from the pre-season team. Here are some reactions from supporters on social media:
“Why isn’t Isaac on the plane?”
“Isaac is not serious, to be honest; Why does he still have a break, huh? He needs the pre-season more than anyone else.”
“I don’t understand why Isak and Wirtz are going on vacation. When they should show eagerness to succeed and then try to turn things around. We’ve seen players do it. They need to show that £100 million or more is not wasted.”
“Wirtz and especially Isak should be here, but what do I know…”
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It’s easy to see why some fans are confused about his absence, especially since Isak is Liverpool’s only injury-free striker before the start of the season.
A new season in which the Swede fails to stay fit could be detrimental to Liverpool’s title hopes, given that Hugo Ekitike is not back until December 2026 at the earliest.
But it’s not completely dark. Luckily, Isak will play two games in the United States. The first will be against Wrexham on July 30 before a meeting with Leeds United on August 2. Liverpool then return to England for their two remaining pre-season matches, against AS Monaco (9 August) and Como (16 August).
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This means that as long as he can stay injury-free, Isak will feature in four friendlies before the season itself starts with an away game against his former club, Newcastle, on August 23.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed!
