Sweden call up Isak despite his standoff with Newcastle

Sweden call up Isak despite his standoff with Newcastle

The 25-year-old has been training alone after forcing a transfer, which club manager Eddie Howe called a lose-lose situation.

Alex Isak AP 200825
Sweden coach Jon Dahl Tomasson said Alexander Isak’s situation is not ideal, as he should be training and playing with the club team. (AP pic)
STOCKHOLM:
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 25-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 Sept 5 and Kosovo three days later.

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