Alexander Isak made his long-awaited Liverpool debut on Wednesday night, and vice-captain Andy Robertson was full of praise for the Swede after the Reds’ dramatic 3-2 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid at Anfield.
Although the match will be remembered for Virgil van Dijk’s 92nd-minute winner, Robertson was quick to highlight the impact of his new teammate. Speaking to TNT Sports, he said:
“I thought he was excellent. Obviously he hasn’t had much of a pre-season, not had a lot of games. But I thought first-half especially he was excellent, naturally he got a bit tired, but then it is amazing to have a player like Hugo to come on as both of them have such quality.
“We have a lot of new players, they have to be given time to settle in because playing for a big club like this isn’t easy. But these guys are the future, the ones taking the club forward and they have shown glimpses already so far, so I’m sure they will only get better.”
Liverpool fans had been waiting to see Isak in action after missing out on a potential debut against Burnley. When he was announced in the starting XI, excitement rippled around Anfield. Despite limited football recently, Isak looked sharp, combining effectively with Florian Wirtz and creating chances, though he didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet.
Robertson noted the impressive professionalism of both Isak and Hugo:
“[He] naturally got tired and then it’s amazing to have a player like Hugo to come on. Both of them have got such quality. We’ve got a lot of new players, they have to settle in; playing with a big club like this is not easy. They’ve all really done well. They are the future, they are the ones who are going to take this club forward. They have shown glimpses so far and I’m sure they’ll only get better.”
The Scotland captain was also involved in Liverpool’s opening goal, benefiting from a Mohamed Salah free-kick deflected past Jan Oblak. Reflecting on the moment, he said:
“The set-piece coach, for whatever reason, he said I was crucial to set-pieces today so I’ve taken it literally! I was just trying to get in the line of the ’keeper so he couldn’t really see. It’s a great finish, give me the Puskas Award now! [Laughs] Obviously I didn’t know much about it but it was a great start.”
Robertson also reflected on the nature of Liverpool’s late win:
“We need to maybe get back to winning a bit simpler and a bit easier. The assistant manager turned to me when Virgil put it in and said he’s getting too old for it, so I can’t imagine what the fans are like. Obviously it’s a great thing to have, being able to keep going right to the end, but when you’re 2-0 up and you’ve played so well in the first half, it should have been a more comfortable night.”
Beyond Isak, Robertson offered insight into his own approach this season as Liverpool’s vice-captain:
“It’s part and parcel of football. When you’re at a club like Liverpool you expect to be challenged every single season. Obviously this one has been a bit different in terms of we’ve probably brought in somebody that is going to start. So that was a bit different for me, obviously a bit of a difficult summer and then once I made my mind up, I committed to it.
“Obviously I’ve only got a year left; I love playing with this club, I love being out there with the lads. I can help the lads as well. Obviously getting the vice-captaincy this season has given me added responsibility as well. So, I’ve just kind of thrived on that. And once the games get going and there’s more games, I believe I’ll play enough football. I’m taking positives and looking forward to the season ahead.”
For Liverpool supporters, Isak’s debut offered a glimpse of what the future could hold. Robertson’s praise underlines the Swede’s potential to make an immediate impact at Anfield, suggesting he could become a key figure as the season progresses.
