Alexander Isak has spoken in public for the first time since his British record £125million move to Liverpool was confirmed.
Isak’s future was the main saga of the summer window after the Swede refused to train or play for Newcastle in his attempts to force through a transfer to Anfield.
That eventually came to fruition on deadline day and Isak headed straight off on international duty for this month’s World Cup qualifiers.
After remaining as an unused substitute for Sweden’s 2-2 draw with Slovenia on Friday, he was introduced against Kosovo on Monday in the 72nd minute when his team were already trailing by two goals.
Isak, who was playing for the first time since his final Newcastle appearance on May 25, struggled to make an impact and was booked as Sweden suffered a shock 2-0 defeat.
And, speaking after the game, despite the disappointing result, there was plenty of interest in Isak’s busy summer and the 25-year-old discussed his blockbuster move.
Alexander Isak has spoken in public for the first time since his £125million move to Liverpool
Isak returned to action off the bench in Sweden’s disappointing 2-0 loss to Kosovo on Monday
‘Not everyone has the full picture, but that’s something for another day,’ Isak told Swedish media.
‘I can’t control everything that’s said or written. But I’m happy that I became a Liverpool player.’
He continued: ‘It’s great that everything was settled before the camp and that I could focus on playing football again.
‘It’s been a fairly new situation for me, but you always learn and develop mentally off the pitch as well.’
Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson had raised concerns over Isak’s fitness ahead of their game against Slovenia but the fact he only came on late in his country’s second match of the week was a major talking point.
However, Isak insisted after the loss to Kosovo that Liverpool had not limited his gametime, with the star now set to join up with his new team-mates before the Reds face Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday.
‘It took 20 minutes and it felt okay,’ he explained. ‘Not that I know of (did Liverpool limit my gametime).
‘I’m with the national team now. Clubs and national teams have contact but it’s between them in such cases.’
Isak joined Liverpool on deadline day but headed straight off on international duty with Sweden
Tomasson said he had given Isak the ‘maximum’ amount of minutes he could and revealed he only trained three times with the team.
The defeat for Sweden dealt an early blow to their hopes of reaching next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
They sit third in their four-team group but are already five points behind leaders Switzerland, who have won their opening two matches.
Only the team who finishes top of the group will qualify automatically for the tournament.
