Michael Owen has thrown his support behind Arne Slot and Alexander Isak, predicting success for them at Liverpool.
The British record signing from Newcastle, who cost a staggering £125 million ($170.5 million), made his debut for the Reds during Wednesday's Champions League match against Atletico Madrid. This follows his absence from Sunday's victory over Burnley, where Liverpool had to rely on a last-minute penalty to defeat the newly-promoted team.
Isak's absence was keenly felt even before he'd made his first appearance for the Reds, with Slot's team struggling to penetrate Burnley's defence until Mohamed Salah scored from the penalty spot.
The 25-year-old Swede's performance at Newcastle saw him emerge as one of the world's top strikers, a sentiment that his new manager wholeheartedly agrees with.
However, Manchester City's manager Pep Guardiola challenged Slot's assertion that the most expensive player in British football is "maybe the best striker in the world," arguing that his own star player Erling Haaland is "a little bit above."
Guardiola continued: "Isak is an exceptional player [but] you asked me about Erling and he is top. Isak must be a top player because of what they paid."
Owen, however, supports Slot's faith in his new striker and believes that the summer-long transfer saga surrounding Isak won't prevent him from making an immediate impact.
"I don't think so [the transfer saga will weigh heavily]," Owen told the Daily Star via BetSelect. "He's obviously got his dream move, one that he will think he was justified.
"I think Isak will hit the ground running. He's in a successful team, a team that is winning games, creating chances. It's not like he's come from a new league. He's used to the Premier League. He knows everything about it.
"So there is no reason why, apart from getting to know his new fellow players, there's no real reason why he won't be an immediate success."
Owen went on to support Isak's potential to deliver the desired impact at Anfield, adding: "He'll have a huge impact. You don't pay 125 million for somebody not to have an impact. Who else is out there that's better in that position?
"Liverpool have probably got the best goalkeeper in the world. They've probably got the best center-half in the world. They've probably got the best right-sided attacker in the world. And arguably, they've now got the best center-forward in the world.
"And to have the best you can get in four or five positions in a team, just makes you incredibly strong. And that's what Liverpool have gone and done."
Isak failed to score on his debut, making way for Hugo Ekitike in the 58th minute.
Liverpool beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 thanks to Virgil van Dijk's 92nd-minute winner. The Reds had established a two-goal lead through Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah, but were pegged back after Marcos Llorente's brace.