Sweden head coach Graham Potter has clarified the injury that forced Liverpool striker Alexander Isak to withdraw from international duty, revealing it was a thigh problem rather than the toe issue initially suspected.
The 27-year-old opened the scoring in Sweden's 2-1 Nations League victory over Romania, continuing his strong start to the season. After the match, he was seen with a bloodied toe following a stamp during the game. Isak played down the severity of that issue, but withdrew from the Sweden camp on Sunday morning.
Liverpool then confirmed in an official statement that the forward had suffered a 'minor injury' and would return to the AXA Training Centre for assessment by club staff.
Potter reveals thigh problem
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Sweden's clash with Poland, Potter said Isak had a "small problem with his thigh" and that it was "not a big one". He explained the forward would miss the rest of the camp because of the congested fixture schedule.
"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," Potter said. "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."
Potter had previously said he intended to select Isak in all four Nations League matches during the extended September/October international break.
Injury developed after game
Potter explained that the issue emerged after the match against Romania. "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," he said.
"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."
Potter confirmed that Sweden's medical team had been in contact with Liverpool. "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."
Sweden move forward without Isak
Potter acknowledged the difficulty of replacing the striker. "We've got a really big squad that we believe in. Clearly there's not another Alexander Isak, that's obvious," he said.
"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."
