Alexander Isak has taken part in his first training session with his new Liverpool team-mates since sealing a British record £125million move to Merseyside last week.
Having been included in Sweden’s squad for their World Cup Qualifiers against Slovenia and Kosovo, the 25-year-old linked up with his new team-mates on Wednesday.
And Isak appeared in great spirits at the Reds’ Melwood training ground for his first session under new boss Arne Slot as he was pictured beaming with a huge grin in the club’s new Adidas gear.
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool’s new No 9, who netted an impressive 23 Premier League goals last term, will be fit enough to start at Turf Moor against Burnley on Sunday after refusing to take part in Newcastle United’s pre-season.
He was nevertheless deemed in good enough to condition to feature off the bench for his national side as they suffered a humiliating 2-0 loss against 10-man Kosovo on Monday.
With Sweden already two goals down, Isak was introduced with 20 minutes to go in a desperate bid to get back in the game.
The former Real Sociedad man was however unable to get the Swedes back in the game in a loss which now leaves them in danger of missing out on next summer’s World Cup in USA, Mexico and Canada.
Having failed to win either of their opening two qualifiers, Sweden sit five points adrift of group leaders Switzerland and two points behind Kosovo in a predicament which left tension amongst some Swedish supporters boiling over.
The national side’s players, including Viktor Gyokeres and new Aston Villa recruit Victor Lindelof, were subjected to vile death threats on social media post-match which have been reported to police, according to the Swedish FA.
A statement released by the FA’s head of security Martin Fredman read: ‘We have a routine based on how we should work when we know or suspect that our social media will be burdened with comments that in various ways cross the line.
‘When scanning through our own channels and some of the players’, we found comments that were far over the limit.
‘We’re proceeding with about ten which we think are crimes. It is up to the police and prosecutors to make sure that it holds up to their preliminary investigation.’
Isak’s transfer saga over the summer was one which drew on for weeks and captured the attention of football fans across the country.
After reporting an injury to avoid Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Asia, the wantaway forward ultimately ended up on strike in a bid to force a move to the Premier League champions.
It was a move which left him open to widespread criticism, particularly from Newcastle supporters, with the Magpies eventually confirming his exit with a blunt 37-word statement – a damningly short goodbye for a player who had been a talesman on Tyneside.
Following the loss to Kosovo, Isak spoke to reporters for the first time about his efforts to force a move to Liverpool.
‘Not everyone has the full picture, but that’s something for another day,’ Isak told Swedish media.
‘I can’t control everything that’s said or written. But I’m happy that I became a Liverpool player.’
He continued: ‘It’s great that everything was settled before the camp and that I could focus on playing football again.
‘It’s been a fairly new situation for me, but you always learn and develop mentally off the pitch as well.’
Having had a bid worth around £110million rejected in early August, the Reds ultimately secured the Swede’s services with a fee of £125m ahead of Deadline Day.
