‘It’s Sad’—Liverpool’s Alexander Isak Misses Major Recovery Goal

Arne Slot has been vindicated following a minor spat with Sweden boss Graham Potter.

Alexander Isak has been pictured back out on the training pitch for Liverpool. | Joe Prior/Visionhaus/Getty Images

Alexander Isak was not called up for Sweden’s all-important World Cup playoffs this month, which had been outlined as a potential return date by his international manager Graham Potter, much to the relief of Liverpool’s Arne Slot.

Potter was “optimistic” that Isak could recover from a fractured fibula suffered at the end of 2025 in time for March’s fixtures. “There’s a chance,” he teased. Slot was not impressed.

The Liverpool boss was willing to accept that the club’s record signing would feature at some point this season but has staunchly refused to set a date and dismissed talk of anything as soon as the upcoming international break. That reticence was justified when Potter named his squad for Sweden’s clash with Ukraine next Thursday without Isak involved.

“There’s nothing we can do about it,” the former Chelsea manager lamented. “It’s sad to lose players due to injuries, it’s like that for all teams.”

“But we have a very good group, I believe in the squad and am sure that together we can find good solutions and focus on our task.”

Sweden can call upon Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres in Isak’s absence but must find a way to defeat Ukraine and the winner of Poland’s semifinal with Albania to earn their spot at the 2026 World Cup.

Liverpool’s focus is on a trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday lunchtime which will also be distinctly lacking any input from Isak.

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Arne Slot Approaches Isak Return With Extreme Caution

Alexander Isak was back on the grass this week. | PETER POWELL/AFP/Getty Images

Prior to his international omission, there was plenty of excitement when Isak was spotted taking part in an individual training session with Liverpool this week. The 26-year-old had swapped his running shoes for actual boots as he belatedly got a feel for the ball again. Slot promptly quashed any enthusiasm.

“As long as you don’t train with the team yet, you are not ready to play,” Liverpool’s head coach sternly warned, definitively ruling Isak out of any fixtures until April at the earliest.

Even when Isak is fit enough to join in with full first-team training, that won’t necessarily be the signal for his swift reintroduction to competitive action.

“And as we all know, if you’ve done for months only individual sessions, it’s also quite a step up to train with the team, and when you train with the team it’s quite a step up to play at Premier League intensity or Champions League intensity,” Slot bluntly pointed out.

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When Could Alexander Isak Return for Liverpool?

Alexander Isak’s first Liverpool season could hardly have gone worse. | Image Photo Agency/Getty Images

Slot’s caution regarding Isak’s workload is understandable when the caliber of Liverpool’s upcoming opponents is considered.

After the always testing task of a trip to the south coast, the Reds return from March’s international break with away days at Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. These two quarterfinals in the FA Cup and Champions League respectively take place across the space of just five days.

There is also the second leg of that European tie to consider and the first-ever Merseyside derby at Everton’s new home before the end of April.

While these are not necessarily the fixtures into which you’d want to ease someone recovering from a broken leg, the intensity of these high-stakes settings will surely take an almighty strain on the players who are fit. Hugo Ekitiké can only play so many minutes, so having the option of wheeling out Isak for the closing stages of some matches could be immensely beneficial.

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Liverpool’s Upcoming Fixtures

Date	Opponent	Competition
March 21	Brighton (A)	Premier League
April 4	Man City (A)	FA Cup quarterfinal
April 8	PSG (A)	Champions League quarterfinal first leg
April 11	Fulham (H)	Premier League
April 14	PSG (H)	Champions League quarterfinal second leg
April 19	Everton (A)	Premier League

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