Wayne Rooney expressed that he would bench Alexander Isak and put Hugo Ekitke in the starting lineup after the Sweden striker failed to leave a mark in Liverpool‘s 2-1 loss to Manchester United on Sunday.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot chose to have Isak spearhead the attack over Hugo Ekitike, who started on the sidelines, but Isak failed to take advantage of one of the prime chances in the first half when he found himself in a one-on-one situation with goalkeeper Senne Lammens and had his shot saved.
This means Isak remains goalless in his initial four Premier League matches since joining Liverpool in a record-breaking £125 million ($171m) transfer last month. His only goal for the club was scored in a 2-1 victory against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
«I wouldn’t include Isak in the lineup; he hasn’t shown he’s prepared since moving from Newcastle,» Rooney remarked on his BBC podcast, ‘The Wayne Rooney Show.‘
«He hasn’t participated in training, hasn’t had a preseason. That’s crucial. While Newcastle were preparing, he was likely at home spending hours on the phone with his agent trying to negotiate a transfer.
«It’s incredibly challenging when you miss out on a preseason. He may have done some individual training, but he is bearing the consequences of it.
«Based on his performances, he shouldn’t be playing ahead of Ekitike.»
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Harry Maguire‘s late goal relegated Liverpool to a fourth consecutive loss across all competitions, placing them fourth in the Premier League after eight matches and four points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
«They’ve grown a bit complacent,» Rooney noted. «For Arne Slot, it’s easy to forget that he won the Premier League, but he’s still relatively young — at 46 years old, this is the first instance in his career of losing four matches in a row.
«[Against United] he was disputing calls with the officials on the sideline; I’ve never witnessed that from him before. We’re starting to see events unfold that indicate there’s pressure mounting.»
