Alexander Isak returning to team training in boost for Liverpool and Sweden

Liverpool’s record signing Alexander Isak will rejoin full team training on Thursday, manager Arne Slot confirmed, ending a three-month lay-off after the striker fractured his ankle and fibula in a Dec. 20 challenge against Tottenham.

The 26-year-old Swede, who cost the club a British-record $170 million from Newcastle last summer, required surgery and has not featured since the incident. His re-emergence comes at a pivotal moment for both club and country: Liverpool sit fifth in the Premier League and face Manchester City in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final before travelling to Paris Saint-Germain for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final next Wednesday.

“To have him again in a team that’s usually generating quite a lot of chances — and maybe not immediately from the first moment that he can start — but to have him back for the last two months is, I think, very helpful for us,” Slot told club media on Wednesday.

Isak’s return is equally timely for Sweden, who booked their place at this summer’s World Cup with a dramatic 3-2 playoff victory over Poland on Tuesday night. The striker, capped 46 times, will now press for match fitness ahead of the tournament.

“Alex is in a really good place because Sweden qualified for the World Cup yesterday evening,” Slot added, “and apart from that he’s going to train with the group again for the first time tomorrow.”

Liverpool have coped without their marquee forward thanks to a reshuffled attack, yet Isak’s unique blend of pace and finishing offers a fresh dimension as the season enters its decisive stretch. Whether he can be eased straight into high-stakes fixtures remains to be seen, but his mere presence on the grass at Kirkby represents a significant psychological lift for a squad chasing silverware on multiple fronts.