Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Monday, 02 February 2026, 16:19 / Updated on Monday, 02 February 2026 16:19
Wayne Rooney (40), his former great striker Manchester Unitedstated that his peak Liverpool, Alexander Isak (26), should be concerned by the excellent form of his fellow attacker, Hugo Ekitike (23 years old).
The Swedish international is unavailable due to a fractured fibula, but upon his return his place in the starting team will not be guaranteed, he claims Rooney.
Before his injury in December, Isak made 16 appearances for Liverpool, scoring three goals.
Wayne Rooney warns Isak, given Ekitike's form
“I would be more worried if I were in Isak's shoes and watching the games from the stands. His career at Liverpool has not “caught” yet. Obviously, the club paid a lot of money for him and these two players, Wirtz and Ekitike, seem to have a very good connection and look dangerous in attack”, Wayne Rooney said in his podcast, quoted by the BBC, according to sportal.bg.
Ekitike scored a brace in the 4-1 win over Newcastle to take his tally to 15 goals in 32 games in all competitions for the Cormorants.
The French striker was transferred in the summer from Eintracht Frankfurt for £69m and has already formed an effective attacking couple with another important acquisition of the “Cormorants”, Florian Wirtz, brought from Bayer Leverkusen for £116m.
According to Rooney, this duo questions the role of Alexander Isak, the most expensive transfer in the history of Liverpool, brought from Newcastle for 125 million pounds, a record amount paid by a British club.
“Ekitike's second goal was brilliant, he reminds me of Romario. It was instinctive execution. He's the kind of player I like to watch. He's not a classic number nine, not a classic number ten.
He gets into the lane, asks for the ball, gets his teammates involved and can score. He has a bit of everything,” explained the former England international.
