Alexander Isak was forced off with an injury just moments after scoring Liverpool’s opener against Tottenham in London.
Arne Slot had only brought on his £125million man at half-time in place of Conor Bradley and the substitution looked to have paid off as he bagged his second Premier League goal for the Reds on 56 minutes.
But Isak, 26, was injured by a challenge from Micky van de Ven in the process of shooting and stayed down after landing awkwardly.
The Swede looked in considerable discomfort as he was attended to by Liverpool’s medical staff and he eventually had to be helped off, hobbling.
To make matters worse, Isak’s replacement, Jeremie Frimpong, was substituted on his return from a hamstring injury. He was bleeding from his lip and was raging at referee John Brooks. His blow did not appear to be as serious as that of his fellow summer signing.
There was some confusion regarding the situation with Isak’s stretcher, which was brought over but not used.
Isak’s blow is another problem for Slot to contend with, just when he thought he might have a moment of peace after mending relations with Mohamed Salah before he flew off to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Liverpool quickly moved on, with Hugo Ekitike doubling their lead in the 66th minute – just 10 after Isak’s opener.
But it will be particularly disheartening given that Liverpool have so carefully worked Isak back to fitness after signing him.
Isak arrived at the champions with a sub-par level of fitness after being forced to train alone and missing Newcastle’s pre-season trip to Singapore and South Korea amid his protracted exit from the club.
He made his Liverpool debut on September 17 in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid – his first club football outing, competitive or friendly, since May.
‘We got him from Newcastle in a state where you could say his pre-season is going to start now,’ Slot said in September.
Isak suffered regular injuries in his three seasons at Newcastle, though not enough to suggest he was especially injury-prone.
His most regular injury in the last couple of seasons has been to the groin, while he was out for more than 100 days in the 2022-23 season due to a thigh problem.
Despite arriving as the Premier League’s most expensive ever signing, Isak has failed to hit the ground running on Merseyside.
His record after 16 games is just three goals, though some of those have been off the bench.
He also suffered a setback in October and November when he had to miss three games due to adductor pain.
