Liverpool’s £125m striker Alexander Isak has withdrawn from the Sweden squad after suffering an injury in their 2-1 Nations League win over Romania
Alexander Isak is injured and has pulled out of the Sweden squad, with Liverpool’s £125m star striker heading back to Merseyside for further examination.
The 27-year-old hotshot has made an impressive start to the season, netting four goals from his first six starts for the Premier League titans. He carried that form into the international break, scoring in Sweden’s Nations League opener against Romania as they secured a 2-1 victory, with Liverpool fans no doubt delighted that he appears to be getting back to his best after a nightmare campaign last season when he broke his leg.
But the former Newcastle United striker has now picked up another injury – this time while representing his country. Liverpool have now confirmed he will return to their AXA Training Centre for further evaluation after withdrawing from the Sweden squad, sparking fears over whether he will be fit to face rivals Manchester City at Anfield on October 11.
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An official club statement read: “Alexander Isak is to return to Liverpool from international duty due to a minor injury.
“The striker will not be involved in Sweden’s three remaining fixtures in the current international break and will now be assessed by club medical staff at the AXA Training Centre.”, reports the Liverpool Echo.
“The Reds’ season resumes when Manchester City visit Anfield on Sunday October 11.”
Isak suffered a toe injury against Romania, despite completing the full 90 minutes, after being stamped on in the second half, with his foot visibly bloodied in a photo shared by Sportbladet, as he downplayed concerns about the injury when passing through the mixed zone.
“It was a real blow,” he confessed to journalists. “You can see it. It was a real punch. Those of you who have played may know that it takes a few minutes before it releases, but it was okay.”
Sweden’s head coach Graham Potter had previously indicated his intention to field Isak in all four fixtures during the extended September/October international break.
“It’s not about rotating for the sake of rotating, as we want to win the games and try to play with our strongest team in every game,” he stated prior to the Romania match.
“Alex has played a lot of games lately, is in a good place and as I know him he wants to start games, but we need to see how everyone is, how they react and recover.
“Can Isak start every game? Potentially yes. But there’s no chance [he will] play all the minutes.”
Now, Isak will be absent from Sweden’s upcoming matches against Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the return fixture with Romania after heading back to Liverpool.
If Isak is unavailable, Cody Gakpo and Lewis Koumas would be Iraola’s only other options to lead the line, with Hugo Ekitike out long-term and Federico Chiesa having been sidelined since the end of pre-season due to injury.