Arne Slot sets date for Liverpool star’s return, says he’ll be “different player” after injury
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has set a return date for injured Reds striker Alexander Isak.
Speaking at his press conference today, as quoted by Empire of the Kop, Slot stated that he expected Isak could be back by late March or early April.
The Dutch tactician did stress, however, that that won’t necessarily mean the Sweden international would be ready to play straight away.
See below for Slot’s comments in today’s press conference as he also backed Isak to come back a “different player” from the one Liverpool fans saw this season…
Arne Slot’s quotes on Alexander Isak
?? Slot on possible Isak return date: "It will be somewhere around the international break,. It depends on whether he has a setback. It'll be the end of March, start of April when he's back with the group, but it doesn't mean he's ready to start playing straight away." #LFC
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) February 19, 2026
Slot said: “It will be somewhere around the international break,. It depends on whether he has a setback. It’ll be the end of March, start of April when he’s back with the group, but it doesn’t mean he’s ready to start playing straight away.”
?? Slot on Isak: "We're expecting a different player at the end of this season compared to what he has done up to now. Unforunately for him and us, we haven't seen the best Alex. We will next season." #LFC
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) February 19, 2026
He added: “We’re expecting a different player at the end of this season compared to what he has done up to now. Unfortunately for him and us, we haven’t seen the best Alex. We will next season.”
Alexander Isak’s difficult first season at Liverpool
Isak was a world class performer at his former club Newcastle United, scoring 62 goals in 109 games for the Magpies.
This then saw Isak move to LFC for what was reported as a British record transfer fee by BBC Sport last summer.
However, the 26-year-old has had fitness issues since arriving at Anfield, meaning he’s missed a lot of games and scored only three goals for the Merseyside giants so far.
Isak is surely capable of much better than this, and it seems Slot is optimistic he can come back well from his injury struggles this term.
Liverpool fans will hope to see Isak get some chances to play before the end of this campaign, but it’s most likely next season when they can expect to see him back to his best.
The post Arne Slot sets date for Liverpool star’s return, says he’ll be “different player” after injury appeared first on CaughtOffside.