Alexander Isak faces consequences as Liverpool handed clear demand over £125m star

Liverpool's record signing Alexander Isak has failed to impress enough to warrant a starting position over Hugo Ekitike, according to England legend Wayne Rooney. Despite his high-profile deadline day transfer from Newcastle, Isak has yet to find the back of the net in the Premier League, while Ekitike has already scored three times. Both have also netted in the Carabao Cup.

Isak was given the nod by Arne Slot against Manchester United on Sunday, but once again drew a blank. Ekitike was brought on for the final half hour of the 2-1 defeat, with the two forwards on the pitch together for just ten minutes and Liverpool's only goal came after Isak was replaced by Federico Chiesa and the Italian assisted Cody Gakpo. Sweden striker Isak had a limited pre-season and didn't feature in any matches for Newcastle prior to his £125m move to Liverpool. Rooney suggests that he is still struggling to find his form, partly due to his lack of preparation ahead of the new season, and indeed he hasn't been in top gear for his country as well as his club.

"I wouldn't play Isak, he hasn't looked ready since coming from Newcastle," Rooney argued on The Wayne Rooney Show. "He hasn't trained, hasn't had a pre-season. It's so important.

"It's so difficult when you don't have a pre-season. He might've done stuff by himself but he's paying the price of it. On performances, he doesn't deserve to be playing ahead of Ekitike."

Liverpool now find themselves trailing league leaders Arsenal by four points after a third consecutive domestic defeat. It is their fourth consecutive loss overall, with a Champions League setback against Galatasaray mixed in among those league reverses.

Arne Slot's squad will return to European competition on Wednesday, with a trip to Germany to face Eintracht Frankfurt. The Dutch manager faces a tough decision: stick with Isak, give Ekitike a chance to shine, or even try starting both in a front two.

"Of course there are concerns. If you lose four times in a row you have to have concerns, but we know if we keep bringing these types of performances then we will have a fair chance of winning more football games," Slot said when quizzed by Match of the Day following the latest defeat.

"If we do a few things better then we will have an even better chance, but you are never 100% sure if in the next game you are again able to create eight, nine, ten open chances.

"Again these players played so long being 1-0 behind and fought to come back. If we have that mentality then there is a lot of positivity to bring into the upcoming games. Losing four times in a row definitely does something to a team."