Alexander Isak faces a busy summer as he leads the line for Sweden at the World Cup, but Robbie Fowler has admitted he's worried about the striker's return to Liverpool
22:51, 12 Jun 2026
SOLNA, SWEDEN - JUNE 4: Alexander Isak of Sweden during the international friendly match between Sweden and Greece at Strawberry Arena on June 4, 2026 in Solna, Sweden. (Photo by Michael Campanella/Getty Images)
Alexander Isak will be in action for Sweden during the World Cup(Image: Getty Images)
Robbie Fowler has admitted he’s worried about Alexander Isak, with the Liverpool legend anticipating another difficult summer for the striker.
Isak will be in action during this summer’s World Cup as he leads the line for Sweden. His country will play its opening game against Tunisia on Sunday (early hours of Monday in the UK), with the striker also set to come up against club teammates Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo after being drawn in the same group as the Netherlands.
The 26-year-old goes into the tournament off the back of a difficult first year at Liverpool, having broken the Premier League’s transfer record with his move from Newcastle last summer.
The switch came at a cost though, with Isak having gone on strike in the north-east to force through his move, meaning he missed out on a proper pre-season, which led to fitness issues throughout the campaign.
A broken leg against Tottenham in December didn’t help matters either, with Isak making just 22 appearances across all competitions, scoring four goals in the process.
And, given his involvement at this summer’s World Cup, Fowler isn’t feeling too confident that he’ll get to fit in the preparation he needs ahead of his second season at Anfield.
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“I'll be honest with you, I'm a little bit worried about this actually, because he hasn't been fit this year,” Fowler told GOAL.
“He obviously turned up to Liverpool and he wasn't fit for whatever reason, we don't know, and we can make our own assumptions.
“He obviously got back into the team, looked a little bit better, then obviously broke his leg and then he was out, and then towards the end of the season, played a few games, he obviously wasn't fit. And that's right, because he just broke his leg and he was getting back into the fold of the squad.
“Then the [Sweden] squad's been picked for the World Cup and he's in it. It worries me a little bit from a Liverpool point of view, because I know he'll go and play in the World Cup.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 04: TNT Sports pundit Robbie Fowler during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City and Liverpool on April 04, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Robbie Fowler is worried Alexander Isak may not be fit enough again for Liverpool next season(Image: Getty Images)
“Now, whether he plays full games, I don't know, but you're not going to get the fitness that you probably had if you go into the pre-season and get the fitness behind it. And then when he comes back from the World Cup, he's going to have a short turnaround again, so I don't think he's going to be as fit as what we'd like as a Liverpool fan.
“I hope I'm proved wrong, of course I am, but it worries me slightly that he's going to come into next season and probably not get that main pre-season behind him, which is probably what he's needed.”
Liverpool.com says: That is a real concern, given how little we actually saw of Isak in his first season at Anfield. If Sweden makes it out of the group stages, you can almost guarantee his return to Liverpool will be delayed this summer.
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There are plenty of players in the same boat though, and given just how little game time he’s had over the past 12 months, perhaps the World Cup could actually prove to be a benefit for Isak. Here’s hoping anyway.