Alexander Isak plan outlined by Sweden manager – with little dig at Newcastle

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Alexander Isak will continue to be managed while on international duty by Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson, who praised Liverpool’s work while aiming a little dig at Newcastle.Isak has had to be integrated into Arne Slot‘s plans with his fitness in mind, having been isolated throughout the summer. However, he has already amassed 312 minutes across six games.Liverpool are ensuring not to overload the striker and risk injury, as he has yet to complete 90 minutes, and Sweden are also conscious of what the 26-year-old may or may not be capable of.The approach at club level has been praised by Tomasson, who pointedly used Newcastle‘s Yoane Wissa as an example of how a purposeful plan across club and country can help a player.“We can’t change the situation (with Isak),” Tomasson said, via fotbollskanalen.“I’m just happy that Liverpool are doing the same thing I would have done. You can see what Newcastle did with Yoane Wissa, who came in instead of Isak.“He played international matches with Congo straight away and is now injured. He is still injured.“That’s also a reason why we couldn’t play him so much last month. We need a good Isak this month and next month. That’s how we plan, while Liverpool have done really well.“I think Alexander is a good example in terms of how Liverpool have handled him in an excellent way.“Normally you need a six-week pre-season and then another three weeks to really be at your best. He has his own pre-season and plays competitive games.“It’s a tough way to get fit, but they’ve handled it well.”Tomasson will continue treating Isak with care, much to Liverpool’s delight, as Sweden will take into account his recent data when assessing whether his first 90 minutes of the season is possible.“I don’t know [if Isak can play 90 minutes in both games], to be honest, as he hasn’t played 90 minutes yet,” Tomasson explained.“But one thing I know is that he looks better than a month ago, which is normal. He also made an excellent assist this weekend [against Chelsea]. “Whether it will be 90 minutes also depends on the matches, so I can’t give a good answer about that.“We need to look at the players individually and we get data from the clubs regarding what the players can do physically and whether they can play 90 minutes or not twice.”Sweden face Switzerland (October 10) and Kosovo (October 13) in World Cup qualifiers this month.