Sweden call up Isak despite his standoff with Newcastle
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - May 4, 2025 Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring their first goal Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo
Sweden have called up Alexander Isak for next month's World Cup qualifiers despite the striker’s standoff with his Premier League club Newcastle United.
The 21-year-old missed Newcastle’s pre-season tour and was left to train alone after he tried to force a transfer, a situation his manager Eddie Howe described as "lose-lose".
"First and foremost, it is not an ideal situation. Ideally, the player should have been training and playing with the club team," Sweden coach Jon Dahl Tomasson said on Wednesday.
Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres has also been called up, but Tottenham Hotspur’s Dejan Kulusevski will miss out through injury and captain Victor Lindelof is unavailable after leaving Manchester United and not having joined another club.
"Victor (Lindelof) is an important player for us, but right now he doesn't have a club and hasn't trained collectively," Tomasson said.
Sweden play away games against Slovenia on September 5 and Kosovo three days later.
