Alexander Isak has been named in the Liverpool squad for Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal at Paris Saint-Germain after 15 weeks on the sidelines.
The 26-year-old has been unable to get anywhere near matching the hype or his eye-watering £125 million ($166m) price tag since completing his acrimonious deadline-day switch from Newcastle.
Isak has only managed 16 appearances for Liverpool having had to play catch up in terms of fitness and deal with some minor injuries before suffering a significant issue in December.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said Isak is fit enough to play but not to start at Parc des Princes.
"He finished close to a week of team training sessions, he can play a part otherwise I wouldn't take him," Slot said Tuesday at a pre-game news conference. "We think we can get a performance out of him now, but not to start."
Alexander Isak is set to return to action for the first time since the end of 2025. Molly Darlington/Getty Images The Sweden international was hurt in a tackle by Micky van de Ven when scoring the opening goal in a 2-1 win over Tottenham, leading to surgery on an ankle injury which included a fibula fracture.
Isak's absence has been keenly felt and his place in the 21-man squad for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg at PSG could be a major boost for Arne Slot's stumbling side.
Pressure is mounting on the Dutchman and his team after concerning recent performances were compounded by Saturday's humiliating 4-0 loss at Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Isak returned to team training last Thursday and worked with his teammates on Tuesday morning before jetting off to France.
PA and The Associated Press contributed to this report.