Anthony Elanga has been left out of Sweden’s squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League matches with an injury Newcastle United boss Matthias Jaissle conceded could be long-term.
Winger Elanga missed Newcastle’s first defeat under Jaissle, a 4-1 loss at Leeds United on Monday, having suffered an injury in training.
Jaissle did not confirm the nature or the severity of the problem, indicating it needs further assessment.
“The injury doesn’t look good,” Jaissle said after the loss at Elland Road.
“We need to investigate how serious it is. Elanga is struggling with injury but at the moment it does not look that good. Unfortunately, he is injured. We need to investigate further and in more detail to find out how long he will be out.
“We will miss him and hope he is back to play quickly. It could be [long-term]. We hope not. He will get another MRI next week, and we will see.”
A statement from the Swedish Football Association announcing the squad read in part: “Anthony Elanga has suffered an injury in the past week and will therefore miss the meeting.”
Speaking to reporters about Elanga, Sweden boss Graham Potter said: “My experience is that it’s better if the communication takes place between the medical staff, because otherwise things can easily get lost along the way.”
Asked how long he could be out for, Potter replied: “No, it’s too early to say.”
Elanga had made an impressive start to the season, scoring two goals in three Premier League games.
That followed a strong World Cup for the 24-year-old, who scored twice as Sweden reached the round of 32 before losing to France.
He will miss Newcastle’s final game before the international break as they look to get back to winning ways against surprise package Hull City.
In an expanded international window, Elanga will be out of action for a pair of games with Romania, which come either side of meetings with Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina, with Sweden drawn into a difficult group in Nations League B as they look to secure promotion to League A.
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