Graham Potter says Alexander Isak is not ready to play two full games for his Sweden side.
Isak has been struggling for fitness since making a summer switch from Newcastle to Liverpool for a British record fee of £125million.
After a limited pre-season, most of which was spent forcing the move to Anfield, the Swede has picked up a number of niggling injuries and has struggled to kickstart his career in Merseyside.
He did, however, return to the bench for Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat against Manchester City last weekend after around three weeks out – but Arne Slot did not call upon him to save a miserable evening at the Etihad.
For the newly appointed Potter, it means one of Sweden’s potent attacking options is not up to speed for his unenviable first game in the hotseat against World Cup Qualifier Group B pacesetters, Switzerland.
‘He’s had a good week, he’s available,’ Potter said about Isak during a pre-match press conference. ‘But we have to be smart with him because he’s been out for a while.’
Graham Potter will not be able to rely upon striker Alexander Isak for Sweden’s next two ties
Isak is not fit enough to play back-to-back 90 minutes for his national side, Potter has said
The former West Ham boss added: ‘He’s not ready to play two matches for 90 minutes. We have to wait and see until tomorrow.’
The 50-year-old took over from Jon Dahl Tomasson, who was sacked last month. The final straw in the Dane’s two-year reign were two defeats to Kosovo and one to Switzerland, in all of which they failed to score.
Potter made a name for himself as manager of Östersunds in Sweden, taking the club from the fourth tier to the top flight, winning the Swedish Cup and qualifying for the Europa League Group Stages where they claimed some big scalps along the way.
Despite being unceremoniously dismissed from West Ham after a turbulent few years in English football, Potter now has talents such as Isak, Victor Gyokeres Anthony Elanga and Dejan Kulusevski to turn to when they are all fully fit.
Sweden are rooted to the bottom of their World Cup Qualifier group and automatic qualification is impossible. They could finish second if results go their way and they beat Switzerland and Slovenia, but are more likely to rely upon their strong Nations League position to reach next summer’s tournament via playoff.
Potter was handed a short-term contract for the upcoming ties, and it is set to be extended if Sweden secure a playoff place for the World Cup.
