Liverpool head coach Arne Slot insists British record signing Alexander Isak's season starts now, with the striker fully up to speed having missed pre-season amid his lengthy transfer saga.
The £125m man has played just 313 minutes over six appearances, scoring once in a Carabao Cup win over Southampton, since his move from Newcastle on Deadline Day.
Isak has played an additional minutes 198 minutes for Sweden, although in two full World Cup qualifiers over the international break he failed to find the net against Kosovo or Switzerland.
However, ahead of the visit of arch-rivals Manchester United, Slot said the 26-year-old was now ready to go.
"I think now he has had his five, six weeks of preseason which is normal for every player, especially if you have been out for three or four months," said the Dutchman.
"Fitness-wise he is close to the level he should be and we can judge him in a fair way from now on.
"I know how this industry works, if he plays there [Sweden] twice and doesn't score that's not what you're hoping for, of course.
Fitness-wise he [Isak] is close to the level he should be and we can judge him in a fair way from now on.
"You are hoping if they go to the national team they score goals like Cody [Gakpo] did, like Virgil [van Dijk] did, like Dominik [Szoboszlai] did, like [Alexis] Mac Allister did but he didn't.
"His pre-season has maybe finished now, he has played a few games 70, 80, 90 minutes so let's see where he is in the upcoming weeks."
Isak is not the only player who has struggled over the early part of the season.
Even before they lost three games in a week, a number of Slot's squad had been under-performing, including the likes of midfielder Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah.
The former is another who has been affected by a lack of full fitness but, after scoring twice in Argentina's friendly win over Venezuela, Slot hopes he is back to his best.
"One thing is clear is that he missed out on a lot, unfortunately. He went out [injured] immediately after we won the league and we were expecting him to be back for the start of pre-season, which he wasn't," added the head coach.
"That led to the fact he wasn't able to play three times in a row, so he went in-out, in-out 60 minutes, 45 minutes, and that is never an ideal scenario for a player.
"But like all the others he is a player who has experienced so much already in his career he will be back at the level he wants and the level I want from him."
Salah, whose return of four goals in 10 games is below his expected high levels, also scored twice as Egypt secured World Cup qualification against Djibouti, but he has come in for scrutiny for his all-round contribution, particularly defensively against Chelsea, who targeted Liverpool's right side.
"I heard the comments from Marc Cucurella and saw how they scored the 2-1, but I can also show you the five or six moments where Mo could have made the difference for us," Slot added.
"If that had happened, we would have had the conversation like we did last season where he made the difference so many times for us. If that doesn't happen then there are probably comments like this."
'Liverpool not as far away as some would have you believe'
Sky Sports News reporter Vinny O'Connor at the AXA training ground:
'Judge us fairly' appeared to be the common theme in what Arne Slot had to say.
On Alexander Isak for instance, he feels he has belatedly completed a full pre-season, therefore "we can judge him in a fair way from now on."
He accepts that as a group there are clearly problems to solve. He's still far from happy at the number of goals Liverpool have conceded, highlighting as well the number of crosses they've allowed from open play.
So, they're looking for answers in that area, particularly as goals are proving harder to come by.
Scoring stats, chances, shots on target are all down from last season. At the same time, Slot makes the point that they are still the team from open play to create the most opportunities, hitting the target more than anyone else from those chances.
So, at this point in time it feels like fine margins are costing Liverpool.
Whereas earlier in the season big moments were going in their favour, against Chelsea, for example, there were opportunities to make the difference that weren't taken.
The bottom line is [and it's accepted by Slot] that they need to and can do better.
"If you look at the 10 games," Slot says, "it was 10 times quite equal, like last season, by the way. And we are trying to work every single day to make that gap between us and the teams we face bigger."
The need to do better isn't just born out of a three-game losing streak, it's an acceptance across the season that they have not found their best levels.
However, it feels like there is an underlying defiance that they're not as far away as some would have you believe.
Three straight defeats for the first time in his Liverpool managerial career has left Arne Slot with plenty to ponder during the international break ahead of the visit of Manchester United to Anfield on Super Sunday, writes Richard Morgan.
Watch Liverpool vs Man Utd live on Sky Sports on Sunday [kick-off 4.30pm]
