Alexander Isak can follow in footsteps of ex-Liverpool star who made Sir Alex Ferguson absolutely ‘furious’

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Alexander Isak could make his Liverpool debut this weekend and may become the second Swedish player in Reds history.

The international break is finally coming to an end, and Liverpool fans have every reason to feel excited.

Alexander Isak joined Liverpool on deadline day and has featured for Sweden in the international break after missing the start of Newcastle United’s season.

Isak only played 18 minutes for Sweden against Kosovo but is now looking to ramp up his preparations for the weekend.

Isak could make his Liverpool debut against Burnley, though he may only feature from the bench.

When Isak does make his Liverpool debut, he will become just the second Swedish player to represent the Reds at senior level – following on from Glenn Hysen.

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Glenn Hysen became an instant Liverpool fan favourite

You have to go all the way back to 1989 for Liverpool’s last Swedish signing.

Defender Glenn Hysen joined the Reds from Fiorentina, but a battle over his signature ended with him becoming an instant Anfield favourite.

Hysen had starred for IFK Goteborg and PSV Eindhoven before reuniting with his former Goteborg boss Sven-Goran Eriksson at Fiorentina in 1987.

Just two years later, Hysen was on the move and was all set for a move to England – but not with Liverpool.

Manchester United teed up a deal to sign Hysen, and Sir Alex Ferguson believed the Swedish defender was on his way to Old Trafford.

As noted by the Liverpool Echo, United couldn’t agree on a fee, and Ferguson travelled to Italy alongside chairman Martin Edwards in order to conclude the deal in person.

Ferguson was in for a nasty surprise, though, as he arrived in Florence to find out that Hysen had instead agreed to join bitter rivals Liverpool in a stunning hijack.

United moved on to signing Gary Pallister from Middlesbrough instead, as Ferguson admitted on United’s official website.

Any player snubbing United to join Liverpool will immediately become an Anfield favourite, but Hysen took it to another level.

Hysen won the Man of the Match award on his competitive debut against Arsenal in the 1989 Charity Shield, instantly endearing himself to Liverpool fans even more than he already had by rejecting United.

Hysen only spent three years at Anfield, but helped Liverpool win the old First Division title in 1990 before heading back to Sweden with GAIS.

Isak is already a Liverpool favourite after forcing his way out of Newcastle to join the Reds, but he still faces a challenge to emulate Hysen’s Liverpool introduction.

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Glenn Hysen on snubbing Manchester United for Liverpool

Hysen spoke to The Athletic about the situation in 2020 and admitted that he actually rejected United on two occasions.

Hysen chose reuniting with Eriksson at Fiorentina over joining United in 1987, and then chose Liverpool over the Red Devils two years later.

Ferguson was ‘furious’ at missing out on Hysen, but the Swede suggested that Liverpool were simply the better move for his career.

Hysen added that Liverpool fans like his decision to reject United ‘quite a lot’, still seemingly receiving love for that decision to this day.

“I actually turned down Ferguson twice,” said Hysen. “The first time was after we won the UEFA Cup in ’87. Sven had just taken over at Fiorentina. He called me and said, ‘Don’t sign anything, I want you here.’

“I said no to Ferguson and Martin Edwards (United’s former chairman) again in ’89. I went to Manchester and spoke to them at a house in Hale. I know Ferguson was furious that I ended up choosing Liverpool but I never made him any promises. United were a mid-table team. It wasn’t the United of (Ryan) Giggs, (Paul) Scholes and (David) Beckham. Liverpool were top of the table, so it wasn’t that difficult.

“Kenny (Dalglish), (secretary) Peter Robinson, and (chairman) John Smith came to Gothenburg to see me. I knew Kenny as a player, but when I met Kenny as a person, I knew that I wanted to play for him. What a fantastic human being.

“To say I was a Liverpool player who turned down Manchester United twice… Liverpool fans like that quite a lot,” he added.