Why Liverpool’s Alexander Isak didn’t play for Sweden | Football

Sweden were twice pegged back in a 2-2 draw against Slovenia while leaving Liverpool’s record new signing Alexander Isak on the bench after his delayed start to the season.

Liverpool fans hoping to get a first glimpse of their deadline day purchase in action for the first time since his move to Anfield on deadline day were left disappointed.

The Reds are back in action after the international break against Burnley on September 14 but it appears as though it will take Isak a while to get up to speed after a disrupted pre-season.

Isak wasn’t called upon last night as Sweden, managed by another former Newcastle striker, Jon Dahl Tomasson, dropped two valuable points.

Tomasson said: ‘We would have loved to play him, everyone would want it. 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 today.’

Asked if Isak could play against Kosovo on Monday, he said: ‘Hopefully, hopefully, as a ‘game changer’.

‘But we have to do the right things with him. In the long and short term.’ 

Newcastle defender Dan Burn, meanwhile, insists there was only love for departed striker Alexander Isak in the players’ WhatsApp group.

Isak effectively went on strike at St James’ Park in order to force a move to Liverpool, with a British record £125million transfer finally completed on Monday’s deadline day.

Newcastle fans turned against him, which Burn understands, but the centre-half has revealed his former team-mates were much more forgiving.

‘It’s only natural, Alex is probably one of the best three strikers in the world at the moment, and as a Newcastle fan personally, obviously, you’d love him to want to stay,’ he said.