Veteran Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was named in the Sweden squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday in spite of an ongoing Achilles tendon problem.
Ibrahimovic, who turns 40 on Sunday, is in the group set to face Kosovo and Greece in Group B matches on October 9 and 12.
Sweden’s top goalscorer with 62 in 118 matches, “Ibra” emerged from an almost five-year international retirement in March with a view to going to the Euros, although a knee injury eventually ruled him out of the tournament.
He returned to the pitch with AC Milan against Lazio on September 12, but Achilles tendon pain has sidelined him since, both for Sweden and Milan.
He will miss Tuesday’s Champions League game against Atletico Madrid and is also likely to be unavailable for his ‘birthday’ match on Sunday against Atalanta Bergamo.
Since his return in March, he has been called up three times by Sweden but has only played twice, against Georgia and Kosovo in late March.
Sweden are currently second in Group B, four points behind leaders Spain.
