The Sweden international underwent surgery on Monday, two days after being injured while scoring the opening goal in Liverpool’s 2–1 Premier League victory over Tottenham. Isak was hurt when Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven slid in and trapped his shooting foot immediately after the striker had released his effort.
Speaking on Tuesday, Slot confirmed the extent of the setback and expressed disappointment for both player and club. “It’s going to be a long injury, for a couple of months,” the Liverpool coach said. “It’s a big disappointment for him and, as a result, for us.”
Slot was particularly critical of the nature of the challenge, contrasting it with another incident from the same match involving Tottenham’s Xavi Simons. “For me, this was a reckless challenge,” he said. “If you make a tackle like that 10 times, 10 times there is a serious chance the player gets a serious injury.”
However, former Liverpool defender and TV analyst Jamie Carragher offered a different view, defending Van de Ven’s actions. Carragher argued that the defender was attempting to block the shot and that the injury was an unfortunate consequence rather than malicious intent. He described the incident as “really bad luck for Isak” and noted that it came just as the striker was beginning to show his quality in a Liverpool shirt.
The injury is a significant blow for Isak, who has endured a difficult start to life at Anfield. Liverpool’s £170 million British-record signing missed pre-season due to a dispute with Newcastle and later suffered a groin injury in October. Slot and his staff had been carefully managing his minutes, with Isak starting five of the club’s last nine matches.
Slot admitted the timing of the injury was especially cruel, as the striker was finally regaining form and confidence. “It’s been a really challenging and difficult period for him,” he said, adding that Isak had only recently begun to resemble the player he was during his final season at Newcastle.
While Slot expects Isak to return before the end of the campaign, he acknowledged that the setback may prevent the forward from reaching his peak sharpness this season. For now, Liverpool must navigate a crucial stretch of the campaign without one of their most expensive and promising attacking options.