Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has expressed confidence that striker Alexander Isak could flourish under the new management of Andoni Iraola, envisioning the Swedish international thriving in the manager's preferred system.
Isak, who joined Liverpool last summer for a British record fee of £125 million from Newcastle United, experienced a challenging first season with the Reds. His arrival was confirmed on transfer deadline day after a protracted saga, and he was initially managed carefully due to concerns over match fitness.
The 26-year-old forward subsequently faced four separate injury spells, leading him to miss 33 games across all competitions. In his debut season, he accumulated only 1032 minutes of first-team action, scoring four goals for the Merseyside club.
Despite these setbacks, Fowler, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, backed the former Newcastle United player for a strong resurgence. "I think probably an outstanding player for me, who could probably progress under Andoni, is Alexander Isak," Fowler stated. "Probably didn't have the greatest of first years as a Liverpool player, but we know how good he is. We've seen his form at Newcastle."
Fowler elaborated on why he believes Isak is a good fit for Iraola's approach. "I think the way Andoni wants to play, he wants his team to be massively on the front foot, get that ball forward as quickly as we possibly can, and someone like Isak could thrive on the way he wants his team to play."
During his tenure at Newcastle United, Alexander Isak established himself as a prominent Premier League striker, scoring 62 goals and providing 11 assists in 109 appearances for the Magpies.
In separate comments, former Liverpool winger John Barnes discussed the development path for teenage prospect Rio Ngumoha. Barnes believes consistent game time is crucial for the 17-year-old to reach the next level.
Ngumoha enjoyed a breakthrough season for Liverpool last term, scoring two goals and assisting one in 29 senior appearances, often coming off the bench. He also made his senior England debut during the summer.
"The next step is for him to play regularly," Barnes said. "Because of course he didn't play regularly and we automatically assumed that all of a sudden he was going to be playing for England and be scoring goals and be the best player in the world. Unfortunately we do that to our young players too much. And he's now not even in the team. So therefore we have to allow him to develop and to grow slowly. And to slowly get into the team and cement a place in the team first before we start talking about him being a main player for Liverpool or a top player for England." He added, "You want him to do what's right for the team. It's okay expressing himself and beating five players and not having any end product … but then after beating players, beating players, beating players, how many goals are you going to score? How many goals are you going to create? So that's how you're going to be judged. Not how good you look and how many players you can beat."
Ngumoha is anticipated to play a more significant role for Liverpool's first team this season, having had a solid pre-season, and is seen as a potential future asset for both the club and England.
