LONDON: Liverpool had to seek sports science expertise to complete the record signing of Alexander Isak on the final day of the transfer window.

The Reds signed the 25-year-old Swedish striker from Newcastle for £130 million after a long summer tussle.

Isak had previously gone on strike in northeast England after Liverpool’s initial offer was rejected.

Manager Arne Slot finally breathed a sigh of relief when he managed to get his dream player at the last minute.

However, Liverpool face major obstacles in finalizing the deal.

Isak’s injury record caused concern among management during negotiations.

The striker missed 39 of his 114 appearances for the Toons, mostly due to a groin injury.

In fact, he was also recorded as not attending more than 200 days of training under Eddie Howe.

According to the Sunday Mirror , Liverpool had to use the services of sports science experts to assess Isak’s fitness level.

Management wants to ensure that the large investment does not risk making it a ‘permanent resident’ of the treatment room.

However, the team of scientists were satisfied with Isak’s physical condition and gave the green light to set a British transfer record.

In fact, they are confident they can improve Isak’s injury record with close monitoring and a specific training plan after he returns from international duty with Sweden.

LONDON: Manchester United fans have begun to express concerns about the team’s performance after a video recording of a mistake by new goalkeeper Senne Lammens went viral on social media.

The young Belgian goalkeeper joined United from Royal Antwerp on the final day of the summer transfer window for a fee estimated at £18.5 million plus a further £3.5 million in add-ons.

Lammens, 23, who has never played for Belgium’s senior squad, signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford.

However, just a few days after his arrival, some Red Devils fans expressed disappointment when a video compilation of Lammens’ mistakes while playing for Antwerp went viral on the X platform.

Among the clips that sparked concern was when Lammens was seen getting out of position during a cross, leaving his goal vulnerable to an easy goal.

Another clip shows Lammens failing to duck to block a low, slow shot.

The reaction of United supporters on social media was full of panic and disappointment.

“Andre Onana 2.0,” wrote one user, referring to United’s current goalkeeper who is also often criticized.

“The latest version of Onana,” said another.

The next reaction, believed to be referring to Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who has also been linked with a move to United, wrote: “How can they choose this player over a World Cup winner?”

However, among the criticism, there were also supporters who came to Lammens’ defense, stating that many of the goals in the video were difficult to avoid.

In fact, another video compilation of Lammens’ best moves was also shared, featuring some of his high-quality moves while with Antwerp.

BRIGHTON: Pep Guardiola said his Manchester City team had ‘forgotten how to play’ after losing 2-1 to Brighton in the Premier League last night.

City dominated the first half and Erling Haaland broke the deadlock in the 88th minute on his 100th Premier League appearance.

However, the Norwegian striker also wasted several opportunities to expand the lead, thus giving Brighton space to rise.

James Milner equalised from the penalty spot in the 67th minute, becoming the second-oldest scorer in league history.

Then, Brajan Gruda scored the winning goal in the 89th minute to hand City their second consecutive league defeat this season.

Asked what changed the game, Guardiola said: “The penalty. We wasted the game. We forgot how to play. We chose to play long passes, that’s fine, but we have to be ready to win the second ball. We weren’t ready for that.

“The momentum in the Premier League always changes after a goal, and that’s exactly what happened. But at that moment we forgot to continue playing like we did brilliantly in the first hour against a difficult opponent,” said Guardiola.

After starting the season with a win over Wolves, City have now lost two in a row, including a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham last week.

It’s a worrying start for Guardiola, after last season City handed over the title for four consecutive years to Liverpool.

They finished the season 13 points behind Liverpool, were knocked out of the Champions League before the last-16 stage, and suffered a shock FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace.

Guardiola had hoped that big spending in the January and summer transfer windows would inject some new energy, but the early returns have been disappointing.

The Spanish manager is trying to emphasise the positives, but the international break will be an uncomfortable period as he tries to sort out the problems of City, who face Manchester United on September 14.

“We conceded one goal and after that we became unstable. Not because I didn’t know how good and strong they (Brighton) were, but because we forgot to keep playing. You can’t stop playing for even a second,” he said.

Brighton looked more venomous after manager Fabian Hurzeler made four changes midway through the second half, including bringing on Milner and Gruda to seal the win.

LIVERPOOL, England: Everton manager David Moyes was delighted with the excellent performance of new signing Jack Grealish after he created two assists in a 2-0 win over Brighton last night, describing the player as acting as if he wanted to prove something.

The 29-year-old joined Everton on loan from Manchester City to revive his stalled international career, having made just seven league starts for City last season.

Grealish was also left out of the England squad for last year’s European Championship.

“I think the player we saw with Manchester City when they won the treble was a pretty exciting guy. I hope he can get back to that level,” Moyes said.

“He’s really enthusiastic. Doesn’t try to run away from a challenge. Doesn’t want to go out after 60 minutes. He wants to prove he’s really good.

Grealish’s two assists this time equalled the total he had produced in his previous 49 league appearances with City, earning him a standing ovation from the fans when he was brought off in the final minutes of the match.

“I told him, ‘be brave against the players, you have the freedom to try, create chances and do things’,” Moyes said.

“I’m really happy with Jack. He did a lot of positive things. I’m not sure if he gave the ball away today, but if he did it was very rare. We were looking for different attacking options with creativity and he gave us something different today.”

Moyes also praised goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who saved Danny Welbeck’s penalty in the 77th minute, after the penalty was awarded for a handball by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

“Jordan probably changed the outcome of the game because at that time we were a bit under pressure,” said Moyes.

“If they score that penalty, it could be a difficult period for us.

“But we shouldn’t be surprised, because he does have the ability to save penalties. Sometimes he makes me dizzy with his passes everywhere. But ultimately, the goalkeeper’s job is to use their hands to save the ball and today he helped us a lot.”

The victory was significant for Everton as it was their first league match at the brand new Dickinson Hill Stadium, exactly 133 years after the old Goodison Park stadium opened.

MANCHESTER, England: Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes insists his team needs to bounce back immediately after their narrow 0-1 defeat to Arsenal in the opening match of the English Premier League (EPL).

The only goal of the match came in the first half when Altay Bayindir, under pressure from William Saliba, headed Declan Rice’s corner straight into the back of the net, before being headed home by Riccardo Calafiori.

United looked energetic up front, especially with the arrival of two new faces Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha who put in convincing performances. However, dullness in front of goal once again haunted The Red Devils.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Fernandes admitted there were many positives, but still highlighted weaknesses that needed to be improved.

“This is the first game of the season, so we can’t say it’s a step forward. We did a lot of good things, but it’s clearly not enough.

“Defensively, we did well. We just created a lot of chances without scoring, which is something we need to improve on.”

United dominated the match with possession and more attempts, something Fernandes also noticed.

“I thought we controlled the game well. We were good with the ball and managed to create some chances, but the main problem today was that we didn’t score.”

The 30-year-old also praised the positive impact of Cunha and Mbeumo’s debuts.

“They both played well. We know what they can contribute, their quality is high and they are a big threat when they have the ball.

“This is just the beginning, I’m sure they will create more chances and contribute more to the team.”