Alexander Isak has been forced to withdraw from the Sweden squad for the remainder of the international break after sustaining a thigh injury. The Liverpool striker's withdrawal was confirmed on Sunday morning, with Sweden manager Graham Potter revealing the forward has a separate thigh complaint, casting doubt on his availability for Liverpool's Premier League clash with Manchester City on October 10.
Isak's injury timeline
The 27-year-old scored the opening goal for Sweden in their 2-1 Nations League victory over Romania, maintaining his impressive form this season. However, he was seen dealing with a bloodied toe after the match, having been caught by a stamp during the fixture. Isak initially downplayed the seriousness of the problem, and it was hoped his withdrawal was due to the toe, which would have meant he would be fully fit to face Manchester City.
But Liverpool's worst fears have been realised, with it confirmed he has another problem entirely. In an official club statement, Liverpool confirmed that the forward had picked up a 'minor injury' and would head back to the AXA Training Centre for evaluation by club medical staff.
Potter's update
While Potter tried to minimise the extent of the injury, he confirmed Isak has a separate thigh complaint. Potter had previously stated his intention to use Isak in all four Nations League fixtures during the extended international break.
"He's got a small problem with his thigh," Potter said at his pre-match press conference ahead of Sweden's clash with Poland. "It's not a big one but because of the amount of games we've got in a small space of time, he won't be able to make those."
"Not a big one but it's frustrating for him and obviously for us. It is what it is but we move forward with the players we have."
Impact on Sweden and Liverpool
Potter added: "It was during the game. Like anything, you sometimes get bumps and bruises in the game, you might think it's a bit of a dead leg or something. But actually as the 24 hours, 48 hours after the game, not quite what you think."
"Unfortunately after getting it checked out, it's a little bit more than what you think during the match. He has to miss the rest of the camp."
"Our medical team has been in contact with the club. Obviously it's our decision in the first place because of his status, in terms of his injury. Once that's the case, we have to inform everybody. That's just normal."
Potter acknowledged the challenge of replacing Isak: "We've got a really big squad that we believe in. Clearly there's not another Alexander Isak, that's obvious."
"In an ideal world, we want all our players available but the reality is we don't have Alex for this game... clearly whoever comes in, we're not going to ask them to be Alex. They just need to be themselves in the best way they can."
