Liverpool manager Arne Slot has urged for patience with the club's record signing as Alexander Isak returns to Liverpool training ahead of the weekend's showdown against Manchester City.
Isak signed from Newcastle in September for a British-record fee of £125 million, but has not played since coming off at half-time of the Champions League win in Frankfurt last month.
Iska has not played since a 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, missing the club's last four games in all competitions due to a groin injury.
"He will train for the first time today with the team again, after being three weeks out," Slot said on Friday.
"I know that I said three weeks ago that his pre-season has ended so now it's time for us to see where he is.
"But I have to come back to those words, because if you are three weeks only with the rehab, that doesn't bring you back to the levels he was three weeks ago."
Swedish international Isak has played just eight games for his new club since arriving at Anfield on transfer deadline day, and is yet to score a Premier League goal.
Slot said Isak, 26, needs time to get match fit.
"You cannot compare rehab with games of football or training sessions with the team," said the Dutchman.
"As much as we try to replicate it, that's simply not possible. So, again I have to say, give him some time."
Liverpool started the season with seven straight wins, then lost six games out of the next seven in an unexpected downturn in form, only to pick up victories against Aston Villa in the Premier League and Real Madrid in the Champions League.
In the circumstances, beating City away on Sunday to complete a hat trick of wins in a nine-day span would be some achievement for Liverpool, who have dropped seven points behind leaders Arsenal in the title race.
Slot classed it as one of the biggest games in football.
“Very interesting game to look forward to — when I wasn't working here and I was working in Holland, I did know when City-Liverpool or Liverpool-City was, I can tell you I was 100 per cent sure I was in front of my television when this game was on," the Dutchman said. "Similar to the clasico, these are the few games everyone is looking forward to.
“What I like about (City manager) Pep Guardiola's teams," Slot added, "is that 10 out of 10 times you get what you are hoping for — a great game of football, no time wasting or those kinds of things that I start to dislike more and more about football.”
Heading into the weekend, City and Liverpool are the immediate challengers to leaders Arsenal, six and seven points behind, but Slot is not even thinking about the game in the context of the title race.
"I only focus on ourselves," he said. "We have lost a few games, much more than we usually do, and now we have won two so our focus is on getting consistent, improving and getting players fit and then we will see where that will lead to.
"But at this moment in time definitely not the only focus we have is the league table."
