A Red hot take from an unlikely source

When a Manchester United legend starts singing the praises of a Liverpool striker, you sit up and take notice. Teddy Sheringham has gone on record to say that Alexander Isak is not just in good form, he is the best striker in the Premier League. Full stop. And with Isak having already outscored his entire top-flight return from last season before autumn has properly settled in, it is difficult to mount a serious argument against him.

Isak has netted four Premier League goals so far this campaign, bettering the three he managed across the whole of last season. That context matters. Much of last term was lost to a fractured fibula and an ankle injury that kept the Sweden international on the sidelines for long stretches, meaning supporters never truly got to see what the £125 million signing from Newcastle United was capable of at his sharpest. This season, they are finding out.

What Sheringham actually said, and why it carries weight

Sheringham made his views known in an interview with Hajper, and he was not hedging his bets. "For me, he's the best striker in the Premier League. He is phenomenal," he said. "I'd like to see him win the Golden Boot this year, and not just to beat Erling Haaland but for the way that Isak plays the game, and how hungry he is for goals."

He went further, breaking down precisely what makes Isak so dangerous in the box, and it is not just the finishing. Sheringham pointed to his movement and intelligence off the ball as the defining qualities of a natural goalscorer. "When other strikers would be standing still on the penalty spot, he's watching what is going on, always on the move in the box," he explained. "We saw that against Bournemouth. It might have looked like the ball just fell to him, but it's because of his movement and momentum to take him there to get that goal."

That is a sharp observation from someone who spent a career doing exactly that himself. Sheringham also singled out Isak's display against Ipswich Town, "his goals against Ipswich Town were fantastic", as evidence that the rest of the league ought to be concerned. "That should get the rest of the Premier League worried this season, I love it. He looks back to his very best, sharp shooting, getting it out of his feet and… bang, goal!"

The bigger picture under Iraola

Sheringham did not shy away from acknowledging that last season's struggles were not solely down to injury. He pointed to the broader situation at the club, noting that even the tactical setup did not help Isak find his footing. "The whole situation at Liverpool was wrong, even down to playing two centre-forwards, and it just didn't work for anyone," he said. It is a fair reflection of a campaign that never quite clicked for the Reds.

This season, under new manager Andoni Iraola, there are early signs of a sharper, more settled structure, and Isak appears to be thriving within it. Sheringham's verdict was unambiguous on where this could lead: "These are all the signs of a striker with the proper goalscoring attributes to be the very best in the world at what he does."

High praise from any quarter. From a man who wore the red of United, it feels like something else entirely, and if Isak keeps this up, Sheringham might not be the last unlikely voice making the case for him come May.