After Liverpool's Defeat To Manchester United, Rooney Calls Isak Worth Reserved

Alexander Isak is considered unfit to be a Liverpool starting player (Instagram/@alex_isak).

JAKARTA - Wayne Rooney said he would back up Alexander Isak and play Hugo Ekitke as his successor after the Swedish forward failed to have an impact on Liverpool's 1-2 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday, October 19, 2025, at Anfield.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot chose to put Isak on the front lines instead of Hugo Ekitike being backed up.

However, the striker failed to take advantage of one of the best opportunities in the first half when he faced one on one with goalkeeper Senne Lammens. His shot was saved.

This means Isak has yet to score in his first four Premier League appearances since joining Liverpool with a record England transfer of 125 million last month.

His only goal for the Reds came in a 2-1 win over Southampton in the Carabao Cup.

"I won't play Isak, he hasn't looked ready since arriving from Newcastle," Rooney said on BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show.

"He hasn't trained yet, hasn't had pre-season. It's very important. When Newcastle trains, he probably sits at home calling his agent for six hours a day trying to move."

"It's very difficult when you don't have pre-season. He may have done a lot of things himself, but he bears the consequences."

"Regarding performance, he doesn't deserve to play in front of Ekitike," said the Manchester United legend.

Harry Maguire's header at the last minute saw Liverpool swallow a fourth straight defeat in all competitions.

The result was that they were in fourth place in the Premier League after eight games and four points behind leaders Arsenal.

Seeing the rivalry-laden match, Rooney said that Arne Slot is now starting to seem depressed in an effort to defend the Premier League title.

"They are a bit complacent. For Arne Slot, we may forget because he won the Premier League, but he is still quite young -46 years old."

"This is the first time he has lost four consecutive times in his career. (Against Manchester United), he argued with the referee on the sidelines."

"I've never seen him do that before. We're starting to see developments, which show pressure there," Rooney said.