Graham Potter makes Alexander Isak World Cup playoff decision

Alexander Isak’s first season at Liverpool hasn’t gone to plan.

The Sweden international arrived for £125m from Newcastle on transfer deadline day - with it acknowledged he’d need time to get up to speed.

And just when the Premier League champions were beginning to see flourishes from their new No9 disaster struck in the form of a broken leg.

Estimates on how long Isak will be out vary - with late March or early April pencilled in for a return.

A return in late March would have put Isak in contention for Sweden’s FIFA World Cup playoff semi-final against Ukraine.

But according to a report in VM Fotboll Sweden head coach Graham Potter is now planning without the 26-year-old for the crunch World Cup showdown.

Potter is due to finalise his squad list on March 18 but Isak won’t be part of it.

“Lucas Bergvall, Dejan Kulusevski, Alexander Isak and possibly goalkeeper Viktor Johansson are expected to be out of the squad due to injuries,” the report reads.

Alexander Isak: Situation summary

Alexander Isak’s first season at Liverpool has been an expensive slow‑burner rather than an instant transformation.

He arrived from Newcastle on deadline day 2025 in a British‑record £125m deal on a long‑term contract, immediately anointed as Arne Slot’s reference No 9 and the big attacking bet of the post‑Klopp era.

A disrupted pre‑season and ongoing fitness issues meant his integration was staccato.

Slot repeatedly referenced his lack of conditioning and even admitted Liverpool were not yet playing to Isak’s strengths, with the Swede sometimes marooned, touching the ball infrequently and competing with Ekitike for starts.

Even so, before Christmas he managed 2 goals and 1 assist in 10 Premier League appearances (504 minutes), plus further contributions in cups and Champions League, hinting at the link‑play and penalty‑box timing that underpinned the transfer.

The broken leg suffered in late December then turned his debut year into a stop‑start campaign, shifting the conversation from “when will he explode?” to rehabilitation timelines and how Liverpool cover the position in his absence.

As of early March he remains in medium‑term rehab with cautious optimism around a late‑season return, and the broader verdict on a £125m outlay is effectively deferred until he gets a clean, injury‑free run in 2026‑27.

Analysis

Isak got game time with Sweden through the autumn but there is little prospect of Liverpool welcoming a call-up during the next international window.

Instead of seeing Isak jet off for a game versus Ukraine in Spain - with a final against either Albania or Poland to follow - the striker should be allowed to continue his rehabilitation at the AXA Training Centre.

By that stage he won’t be far off a first-team return - according to the latest timelines - and should be fit enough to play some part in the run-in as the Anfield club plot a finish in the Champions League places.

There are also cups to be decided - meaning Isak could still end his first season with silverware including the Champions League trophy.

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