Liverpool's £125m striker Alexander Isak has withdrawn from the Sweden squad after suffering an injury in their 2-1 Nations League win over Romania. The 27-year-old is heading back to Merseyside for further examination at the club's AXA Training Centre.
Return to Liverpool for assessment
Isak had made an impressive start to the season, netting four goals from his first six starts for the Premier League leaders. He carried that form into the international break, scoring in Sweden's Nations League opener against Romania as they secured a 2-1 victory.
Liverpool have 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.
Injury details and statement
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.
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. 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."
Impact on upcoming fixtures
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.
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 the 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.
