Wayne Rooney has said he would bench Alexander Isak and start Hugo Ekitke in his place after the Sweden forward failed to make an impact in Liverpool's 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot opted to have Isak lead the line over Hugo Ekitike, who was made to start on the bench, but the striker failed to convert one of the best chances of the first-half when he was sent through one-on-one with goalkeeper Senne Lammens only to see his shot saved.
It means Isak remains without a goal in his first four Premier League appearances since joining Liverpool in a British-record £125 million ($171m) deal last month. His lone goal for the club came in a 2-1 win over Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
"I wouldn't play Isak, he hasn't looked ready since coming from Newcastle," Rooney said on his BBC podcast, 'The Wayne Rooney Show.'
"He hasn't trained, hasn't had a preseason. It's so important. While Newcastle were training he was probably sat at home on the phone to his agent for six hours a day trying to get a move.
"It's so difficult when you don't have a preseason. He might've done stuff by himself but he's paying the price of it.
"On performances, he doesn't deserve to be playing ahead of Ekitike."
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Harry Maguire's late header consigned Liverpool to a fourth-straight defeat in all competitions, leaving them fourth in the Premier League after eight games and four points behind leaders Arsenal.
"They've got a bit complacent," Rooney said. "For Arne Slot, you forget because he won the Premier League, but he's still quite young -- 46 years of age and this was the first time he has lost four in a row in his career.
"[Against United] he was arguing with the officials on the touchline, I haven't seen that before from him. We're starting to see things unfold which shows that there's pressure there."
