Isak can use World Cup to become 'a major force' as Liverpool prediction made

That is the verdict of both ex-Reds defender and assistant manager Phil Thompson and veteran Premier League boss Sam Allardyce, who both believe that British football's most expensive player will benefit from playing for Sweden this summer.

Isak looked at his razor sharp best in Sweden's 5-1 win over Tunisia in their opening match of the tournament in Monterrey in the early hours of Monday morning UK time, scoring once and providing two assists.

The former Newcastle man came into the tournament off the back of a fine goal in a friendly against Norway, with his form a far cry from the four goals he scored in 22 Reds appearances in an injury-hit debut season after his acrimonious move from Newcastle.

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That form attracted widespread criticism, but Thompson believes that was over the top due to the injury problems Isak suffered, including breaking his leg in the act of scoring a goal against Tottenham in December.

“He needs to play football matches – he’s not played!” said Thompson when in a discussion with Allardyce about Isak on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.

“Because he had controversy last pre-season, he never got a pre-season. Sam will tell you. If you don’t have that under your belt, then you come back and you’re playing catch-up.

“Then you’re trying to be bit-fed into the side, because everyone wants to see him, but you can’t [play him] and then you risk injury. He comes back, he gets an injury, then against Spurs he gets a broken leg. And all of this intertwines, so you’re not fully fit.

“He’s not had enough games. You can see that. People writing him off is like… come on. Give the boy a chance. He’s never been fit enough.”

Allardyce agreed that Isak needs to play matches in order to get up to speed, and has backed him to have a big impact at Liverpool in his second season.

"The World Cup's a good thing for him. If he plays every game, that's good for Liverpool, as it gives him some catch-up time against the rest," said the former Everton and one-time England boss.

"He can really benefit from the games, because he's not tired. He's not fatigued, as he hasn't done anything this season because of [the injuries].

"It'll be a good thing if he plays all the games and how far they go, then it links into pre-season with Liverpool and then he could be a major force next season."

Isak will come up against some familiar faces in Sweden's next World Cup match when he takes on Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo's Netherlands side in Houston, Texas at 6pm on Saturday.

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