Alexander Isak returns to football for first time in 102 DAYS as Liverpool newboy is named on bench for Sweden

BRITAIN’S most expensive footballer Alexander Isak is BACK for the first time in 102 days.

Liverpool’s new £130m hotshot is on the bench for Sweden’s World Cup qualifying clash in Slovenia this evening.

The 25-year-old last played on May 25 in Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat to Everton in the final game of last season.

But the £130m hotshot could get his first minutes in over three months tonight in Ljubljana – almost 1,200 miles away from the Kop – for his nation.

Isak, who scored 27 times last term to help fire the Magpies to Carabao Cup glory and Champions League qualification, has become public enemy No1 in Newcastle.

After missing Toon’s opening friendly defeat at Celtic on July 19, he then failed to travel on the pre-season tour of Asia as speculation intensified over his future.

Isak was then spotted training alone at former club Real Sociedad, who received £63m for him from the Magpies in 2022, before Liverpool had an opening £110m bid rejected.

He continued to refuse to play for the North East side and left Eddie Howe without a recognised striker for the start of the campaign.

Isak then went public with his desperation to go by releasing a bombshell statement claiming promises had been “broken” by Newcastle and claimed their “relationship can’t continue”.

The furious Mags hit back, slamming Isak’s accusations and claiming that “no commitment has ever been made by a club official that Alex can leave”.

Isak remained on the sidelines as Howe’s team could only muster two points from their opening three league games before finally getting his wish and heading to Anfield on deadline day.

After putting pen to paper, the forward instantly jetted out of Merseyside and headed to Stockholm to link up with Jon Dahl Tomasson’s squad for the upcoming clashes with Slovenia and Kosovo, who they host back on home turf on Monday.

National boss Tomasson has revealed he has been in contact with both Liverpool’s doctors and manager Arne Slot and had promised them he won’t do anything “stupid” regarding Isak’s lack of fitness over the coming days.

Though the ace showed he’s lost none of devastating goalscoring abilities.

Sweden’s official X account shared a clip of him curling one into the top corner during a shooting drill on Thursday, and the finish led to one excited national team-mate shouted: “He’s here, he’s fine.”

Isak to Liverpool transfer saga timeline

• JANUARY: First links to Liverpool emerge

• FEBRUARY: £150million record fee mooted

• MARCH: Isak denies Newcastle contract talk

• APRIL: Eddie Howe hails Isak as “very professional.”

• MAY: Howe insists Isak will not be sold
• Last match in Newcastle shirt

• JUNE: Transfer links to Liverpool heat up

• JULY: Flies with Newcastle for Austria training camp
• Left out of Celtic friendly
• Liverpool hijack Toon’s Hugo Ekitike deal after making Isak enquiry
• Doesn’t travel for pre-season tour of Singapore and South Korea, citing injury

• AUGUST: Training by himself at Newcastle
• Liverpool have £110m bid rejected
• Isak stops training and goes on strike
• Moves out of his apartment
• Releases angry statement blasting ‘trust has been lost’
• Newcastle respond by insisting he won’t be sold unless it benefits club
• Misses Newcastle’s first three games of season, including 3-2 defeat to Liverpool
• Newcastle relent and will accept £130m with 24 hours of window left
• Liverpool have £130m bid accepted on Aug 31

• SEPTEMBER: Isak travels to Liverpool for medical on deadline day morning
• Liverpool announce British record signing on deadline day at 9.30pm – two-and-a-half hours after transfer window closes
• Takes No9 shirt at Anfield
• Newcastle release blunt 37-word statement confirming exit