Alexander Isak has been forced to leave Sweden’s international training camp early after the national team confirmed a “minor injury,” raising immediate questions over the Liverpool forward’s availability for the club’s crucial return to Premier League action.
The 27-year-old was spotted in discomfort following Sweden’s UEFA Nations League clash with Romania, appearing in the mixed zone with a bloodied foot. Sweden manager Graham Potter later clarified that the issue centres on Isak’s thigh, describing it as a small concern. While the exact severity remains unclear, Liverpool have confirmed the striker will now be assessed by club doctors on Merseyside before any timeline for his return is established.
It represents a slight injury scare for Andoni Iraola’s side at a delicate stage of the season. Isak has impressed in the early weeks of the campaign, scoring four goals in five Premier League appearances. That form carried into the international break, where he found the net in Sweden’s 2-1 victory over Romania before departing with the minor problem.Fortunately for the Reds, the extended international break offers a buffer. Four national-team fixtures are packed into a three-week window, meaning two full weeks remain before Liverpool’s next outing.
That fixture is a high-stakes Anfield meeting with Manchester City in early October — a genuine test of Iraola’s early work and the squad’s depth.Isak has been one of the key components of Liverpool’s start. His potential absence would force Iraola to reshuffle his forward options at a time when natural centre-forward cover is already limited by Hugo Ekitike’s long-term injury.
The manager has already shown faith in Lewis Koumas, who led the line as the central striker in the EFL Cup win over Tottenham and impressed with the pressing intensity that lifted those around him. That performance could earn the Welsh international another opportunity.Other alternatives exist. Cody Gakpo has operated as a central striker previously and could be deployed in the role, while Federico Chiesa is set for a return from injury and has demonstrated he can play through the middle if required.
These options provide flexibility, yet none represent the ideal replacement for Isak’s combination of movement, finishing and physical presence.The absence of established natural strikers was always going to carry risk should both Isak and Ekitike be unavailable. With two weeks remaining before the Manchester City encounter, Liverpool face a nervous wait to determine the precise extent of Isak’s thigh issue and whether the Swedish international will be fit to face one of the Premier League’s sternest tests.
