![\"Alexander](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/dcfbeb3d-6c90-4306-84e1-fc0e4b5a8bdf.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIsak was left on the bench for Sweden due to lack of match fitness\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alexander Isak signs for Liverpool FC at AXA Training Centre. (Photo by Nikki Dyer – LFC\/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Alexander Isak may be set to face a wait before he makes his Liverpool debut, after Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson admitted \u2018the risk was too great\u2019 to include the striker in his team for a crucial World Cup qualifying clash in Slovenia on Friday night.<\/p>\n
Arsenal forward Viktor Gyokeres led the forward line for Sweden in a game that finished 2-2, but Isak was not considered to be fit enough to take any part in the qualifier after failing to play in a competitive match since the end of last season following his transfer stand-off with Newcastle.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would have loved to play him, but since he only had three training sessions and no pre-season and of course no match time, the risk was too great to use him,\u201d stated former Newcastle player Tomasson.<\/p>\n
Asked if Isak could play against Kosovo on Monday, he added: \u201cHopefully, hopefully. We have to do the right things with him. In the long and short term.<\/p>\n
“He’s smiling. Have you seen his face? He’s so happy to be here. That tells you a lot about how much he really likes being in a group.<\/p>\n
“We are not going to do stupid things with him, but we have a plan.<\/p>\n
“Normally in pre-season you have plenty of training and plenty of games. This is not the case with Alex.<\/p>\n
“He is a game changer. But can he play 90 minutes? Of course not.”<\/p>\n
Isak admitted in his first interview after sealing his \u00a3125m move to Liverpool that he would need time to regain match fitness, with a start in next weekend\u2019s away game at Burnley looking unlikely.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a tricky summer where I haven\u2019t played any games and I\u2019ve had restricted training,\u201d said Isak.<\/p>\n
“So, I think that\u2019s one to judge and to analyse where I am at and how much I am ready to give. But I certainly want to play as soon as possible. I don\u2019t know when I will be ready.<\/p>\n
“I’m just happy it’s done and that I can get back to work. I’m looking forward to seeing my team-mates and the fans, and getting back out there.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Isak was left on the bench for Sweden due to lack of match fitness Alexander Isak signs for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[18,19,17,1534,132],"class_list":{"0":"post-48633","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-liverpool-football-club","12":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}