Liverpool injury news: New Alexander Isak timeframe revealed after major hurdle cleared

Liverpool striker Alexander Isak is targeting a return from his broken leg in late March or early April, head coach Arne Slot has revealed.

The Premier League's most expensive signing of all time has experienced a disrupted start to life at Anfield since his £125m summer arrival and is yet to make his first appearance in 2026 due to his serious leg injury.

Isak sustained a broken fibula during Liverpool's 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on December 20, prior to which he had only scored three goals and provided one assist in 15 games for the reigning Premier League champions.

Speaking to the media ahead of Sunday's clash with Nottingham Forest, Slot revealed that the striker had started running outdoors again - taking a significant step forward in his recovery - but he also sought to temper expectations regarding his return.

"Alex has been on the pitch, not with his football shoes but with his running shoes for the first time this week, so that will still take a while before he's ready to play for us again," Slot said.

Alexander Isak targeting Liverpool return in late March, early April

"It's nice for him to go on the pitch, it's nice for us to see him there. Next step is doing ball work which every player likes most, and the next step is going into the group, and then it takes a while before you're ready to play."

Asked if he had a timeframe for Isak's comeback, Slot responded: "Yes and no, these final stages of rehab are the ones that can make things change.

"Let's not put a timescale on it, but it's clear he will be available if things go as planned this season. It will be somewhere around end of March, start of April, where he's hopefully back with the group.

"It's not to say you are ready to play let alone start - the last time he was out for months we could all see it took him a while before he was the player we signed.

"We're expecting a different player in the end of the season than what we saw in the first part. We have to give him time - if a player has been out for four or five months with individual training, you cannot expect him to be up to speed straight away."

Alexander Isak could return for four huge Liverpool games

Liverpool have six games left on their schedule before the March international break, during which Isak could very well link up with the Sweden squad to continue his rehab, or even play a few minutes here and there.

Reds fans will no doubt object to those hypothetical plans ahead of a daunting end-of-season run-in, although their first game back after the March internationals is a winnable one - Fulham at home on April 11.

Isak should be in and around the squad by then barring any setbacks, and the Scandinavian would also be expected to take part in the first Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on April 18.

Slot's side also face crucial clashes with Manchester United (A, May 2), Chelsea (H, May 9) and Aston Villa (A, May 17) in the closing weeks of the season, and the hope is that Isak will be fit to compete in all of those high-profile clashes.

However, the Swede remains out for Forest alongside Wataru Endo, Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong, who is targeting a return from his hamstring problem for West Ham United next weekend.