Former Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak was an unused substitute as Sweden were held to a 2-2 draw away at Slovenia.
The 25-year-old has not played since May, but was still included in Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Sweden squad for friendlies against Slovenia and Kosovo.
Alexander Isak got the move to Liverpool he was so desperate for on deadline day, leaving Newcastle United after three years and 54 Premier League goals.
The striker was forced to watch on from the bench as his former teammate Anthony Elanga scored the opening goal in Sweden’s 2-2 draw in Ljubljana, where he would have surely been thinking he could have made an impact.
Newcastle United defender Emil Krafth also watched on from the bench, but could be in with a shout of playing against Kosovo on Monday evening. With Isak watching on from the bench, Tomasson has shared why he opted against playing him despite the draw.
Alexander Isak protests during an international game between Slovenia and Sweden.
Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images
Alexander Isak was not ready to play, says Jon Dahl Tomasson
Elanga took Isak’s place in the starting XI, and did a good job with his goal, but the 23-year-old could be given a rest after playing an hour against Slovenia.
While Isak did not play on Friday night, he will surely be in contention to come in from the start on Monday, where Newcastle and Liverpool fans will be eagerly watching on.
Post-match, the topic of Isak’s lack of involvement was brought up to Sweden manager and former Newcastle striker Tomasson.
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“He had only done three training sessions with the team,” he told Viaplay.
“No pre-season with the team and of course no playing time. The risk is probably a bit too great to use him today.”
While Isak will be hoping for a start in the next game, Tomasson has suggested that he may have to wait his turn before returning to the starting XI.
“Hopefully, hopefully. As a “game-changer,” he added, when asked if Isak would play on Monday.
Alexander Isak has a lot to live up to after leaving Newcastle United
Isak lost the trust of the Newcastle fans, but was given a send-off by a small number of his now former teammates.
Anthony Gordon and Sven Botman said farewell to Isak, while players like Elanga and Dan Burn have since commented on his exit.
While playing for the national team is one thing, Isak now has a gargantuan price tag that he must live up to.
Newcastle doubled their money when selling Isak, but it is down to Arne Slot and Liverpool to get the same out of him that Eddie Howe did on Tyneside.
Isak talked about winning trophies at Liverpool and making more history in the Premier League, so there will be a natural expectation that the Reds to deliver what he is hoping for.
His £125m was a British record fee, and one which is deemed ‘transformative’ for the Magpies, who have very little to worry about from a PSR perspective thanks to the sale.
Isak is not Newcastle’s problem anymore, so fans can now just look on to see if he will be a success on Merseyside.