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Sweden boss Graham Potter has been urged to give Alexander Isak 90 minutes in Tuesday's World Cup qualifying dead rubber against Slovenia.
The Liverpool striker was only used as a substitute on Saturday as Sweden suffered a thumping 4-1 defeat at the hands of Switzerland. Sweden went into the international break knowing that qualification via Group B would be extremely unlikely after picking up just one point from the team's opening four games.
A loss to the Swiss heaped more misery on Sweden, but Isak and his teammates can still qualify for next year's World Cup due to their success in the Nations League.
The Swedes won Group C1 of the most recent edition of Europe's Nations League to clinch a playoff spot for the World Cup. Nevertheless, both Sweden and Slovenia have nothing but pride to play for on Tuesday.
Despite securing a dream move to Liverpool on transfer deadline day in September, it has been a difficult period for Isak as far as on-field matters are concerned.
His only goal for his new club came in a League Cup game against lower-league opposition, after his lack of a proper preseason – due to him going on strike at Newcastle in order to force through a move to Anfield – meant he came into the campaign undercooked.
He is yet to complete 90 minutes for Liverpool and has not figured for Arne Slot's side in almost a month due to a hamstring injury.
Former Liverpool player John Aldridge hopes that he can get some significant game time under his belt when Sweden hosts Slovenia.
"After returning to action over the weekend, you'd like to think the next step for Alexander Isak in his comeback is to get 90 minutes for Sweden against Slovenia," Aldridge said in his column for the Liverpool Echo. "That is the thing he needs first and foremost now: minutes in the bank.
"It feels like we have been saying the same thing over the last three international breaks for the Liverpool striker but hopefully he can get some significant time on the pitch that will help him when he returns to club level.
"Looks, he is a natural goalscorer, he has proven that during his time at Newcastle United and there is a reason why he is a player who cost £125M only two months ago. I think we shouldn't lose sight of that.
"Yes, he's had to be patient as have the supporters and it has been frustrating for all concerned that he hasn't been able to hit the ground running.
"But we know why that is, it has been well documented that he didn't get any sort of preseason to call his own in his final weeks up at Newcastle.
"That has been the cost of doing business but Arne Slot will be the first to say he has signed for six years and not six weeks."
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