Graham Potter has named his 26-man Sweden squad for the World Cup, but there was no place for Tottenham Hotspur forward Dejan Kulusevski, who has been sidelined for a year with a knee injury and has not recovered in time for the tournament.
Many had expected Potter to include the 26-year-old on the off-chance he could play some part, but the coach was unequivocal in closing the door on what would have been a remarkable comeback.
“A very, very difficult decision in terms of where he has been, what he has done over the last year, where he is at in terms of his rehab with four and a half weeks to go to that first game,” Potter told reporters. “Once those games start, you are not really in a place where you can start playing in big areas and spaces. So it is very, very difficult to get up to where we need them to be, and you have to make a very tough decision.”
Fellow forward Alexander Isak has also battled injury this season, but Potter expects the Liverpool striker to hit form in time. “Our challenge is to get Alex in the best moment of the season and for him to hit top form, because if he does, he is a world-class player,” he said.
Sweden endured a difficult qualifying campaign, finishing bottom of their group with just two points, but their Nations League form earned them a playoff berth. They beat Ukraine and Poland to secure their place at the finals.
Potter was eager to look ahead. “It is incredibly exciting, a huge honour for me. The positive response from our supporters has been fantastic, and now we are looking forward to creating more memories together during the World Cup.”
Sweden open their Group F campaign against Tunisia in Guadalajara, Mexico on 14 June, before facing the Netherlands in Houston and Japan in Arlington, Texas.
Sweden squad:
Goalkeepers: Kristoffer Nordfeldt (AIK), Viktor Johansson (Stoke City), Jacob Widell Zetterström (Derby County)
Defenders: Daniel Svensson (Borussia Dortmund), Victor Lindelof (Aston Villa), Isak Hien (Atalanta), Carl Starfelt (Celta Vigo), Elliot Stroud (Mjallby AIF), Gustaf Lagerbielke (Braga), Gabriel Gudmundsson (Leeds United), Emil Holm (Juventus), Hjalmar Ekdal (Burnley), Erik Smith (St. Pauli)
Midfielders and forwards: Taha Ali (Malmo FF), Yasin Ayari (Brighton and Hove Albion), Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham Hotspur), Anthony Elanga (Newcastle United), Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal), Jesper Karlstrom (Udinese), Gustaf Nilsson (Club Brugge), Benjamin Nygren (Celtic), Mattias Svanberg (VfL Wolfsburg), Besfort Zeneli (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise), Alexander Isak (Liverpool), Alexander Bernhardsson (Holstein Kiel), Ken Sema (Pafos)
