Sweden's head coach Janne Andersson has come to the defense of star striker Alexander Isak and his fitness.

The Newcastle United forward has struggled to find his best form during much of this season due to injury issues.

However, Isak is now fully fit and has been scoring in the Premier League in recent weeks.

Speaking to Atfonbladet, Andersson said: “I think the expression failure [where Alexander Isak is concerned] is quite harsh to talk about based on how it was on Friday. If he played 20 matches in a row in the Premier League and did well, we could probably raise the demands on him.

“But where he comes from now, he is not one hundred percent match-wise. He has played two matches now where he has scored a great headed goal in one and a fantastic volley finish in the other.

“But overall, if you look at playing time backwards, we probably shouldn't put that pressure on him right now. But I have high hopes that “Alex", if he is whole and healthy, will be able to be a supporter in the national team."