Alexander Isak has been warned that his £125million transfer fee won’t guarantee him a starting spot ahead of Hugo Ekitike at Liverpool.
Isak became Britain’s most expensive player after joining from Newcastle last month, six weeks after Ekitike’s £79m move from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Sweden international, exiled from Newcastle’s first team during the summer, has since regained fitness and captained his country against Switzerland on Friday.
He started Liverpool’s last two league defeats to Crystal Palace and Chelsea, while Ekitike led the line in the first five wins.
Ekitike has five goals in 10 games across all competitions, compared to Isak’s one in six, a return that has impressed former Liverpool star Vladimir Smicer.
“Hugo Ekitike has truly surprised me,” said the Champions League winner. “While I’d seen him play in Frankfurt, his start for Liverpool was incredibly impressive.
“He’s scored some wonderful goals, and his movement and technique are quite high level – I really love that he’s so skilful.
“I believe his best position is centre striker, which is where he’s been playing. It’s going to be interesting, perhaps a good headache for the manager. We’ll see. He could potentially try different positions, or maybe play behind another striker.
“We’ll have to see if he and Alexander Isak can play together, they will definitely have some games where they feature alongside each other.
“It’s a good problem to have. It’s great to have top strikers like Isak and Ekitike in the team because with so many games in a season, I believe they will both find ample playing time.
“Of course, it creates competition for both. Just because Isak cost more than Ekitike it doesn’t mean he’ll play every game.
“It’s about competition for a place, and that’s what makes a player better. If you have to compete with Isak, I think that’s fantastic. If the competition is healthy and the players are mentally prepared for it, it will only benefit Liverpool.”
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