'The risk': Sweden manager explains whether injury stopped him bringing Alexander Isak on last night
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Liverpool supporters were expecting to get their first glimpse of Alexander Isak since his move to Anfield on Friday night as Sweden faced Slovenia.
Isak has not played at all since May, having essentially gone on strike to force through a move to the Reds from Newcastle.
Clearly, he is going to be eased in somewhat at Liverpool, but the September international break felt like the perfect time to get the 25-year-old some minutes in the bag.
Unfortunately, however, Liverpool fans who tuned in to the match in Ljubljana were left disappointed, with Isak remaining rooted to the bench throughout the 2-2 draw.
The Swedes could have done with Liverpool’s £125m man, as they twice surrendered the lead to Slovenia.
And speaking after the game, manager Jon Dahl Tomasson explained why he had not put Isak on for a cameo in the second-half.
Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images
Having trained with the group throughout the week, Liverpool fans would have thought that Isak would have been ready for at least a bit-part performance on Friday.
The striker is Sweden’s main man after all, and a 10 or 15-minute display could have been the first step to getting him up to speed.
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According to Tomasson, though, the ‘risk was too great’ to throw Isak in for any kind of game time following his long period out of competitive action.
“He had only completed three training sessions with the team,” the former AC Milan striker told Viaplay via Fotboll Skanlen.
“No run-up with the team and of course no playing time.
The risk is probably a little too great to use him today.”
Asked whether Isak would play some part in Monday’s clash with Kosovo, Tomasson sounded a more positive note.
“As a ‘game-changer.'”
Having bought him for such a big fee, there is a strong possibility that it is Liverpool, not Tomasson who is calling the shots on Isak here.
Liverpool are planning for Isak to be fit to face Burnley on September 14th, and it is highly plausible that they will have instructed Sweden to be as careful as possible with him until then.
Obviously, match sharpness only comes through playing matches, and it would be a surprise if Isak does not feature against Kosovo.
But, after only three days of training, maybe instructions have come from Anfield to wrap the No.
9 up in cotton wool for now.
The wait goes on for Liverpool fans, but we’re certain Isak will be worth being patient for a little longer.