Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak has withdrawn from the Sweden national team ahead of their June friendlies, as he continues to manage a groin injury that hampered his performance at the tail end of the Premier League season.
Isak, who has Eritrean heritage, started for Newcastle in their final match of the campaign — a narrow 1-0 defeat at Everton — but struggled to influence proceedings, having missed the previous fixture against Arsenal due to the same groin issue.
Despite his limited impact, the Magpies secured UEFA Champions League qualification, aided by results elsewhere.
The 25-year-old has now officially pulled out of Sweden’s upcoming fixtures against Hungary on June 6 and Algeria on June 10.
His absence is a blow for national team boss Jon Dahl Tomasson, who had hoped to rely on Isak’s firepower as he fine-tunes the squad ahead of September’s World Cup qualifiers.
Isak, capped 52 times with 16 goals for Sweden, will now focus on recovery, aiming to be fully fit for pre-season with Newcastle.
The latest injury setback means this will be the second consecutive international window where Sweden are without key attacking options, with Viktor Gyökeres also missing the March fixtures.
In response to Isak’s withdrawal, Tomasson has called up FC Copenhagen forward Jordan Larsson and Gustaf Nilsson of Club Brugge to reinforce the Blågult’s attack.
The June matches are Sweden’s final opportunities to experiment with squad depth and shape before competitive qualifiers resume.
Isak’s injury will be closely monitored by Newcastle’s medical staff, who hope to see the striker return to peak condition after a campaign where he emerged as a central figure in the club’s attacking line-up under Eddie Howe.
