For Eric Smith of FC St. Pauli, his secondment to the Swedish national team has come to an early end. There was no positive news in Hamburg after his return.
As the Hamburg Bundesliga club reported on its social media channels at the start of the week, Smith returned to the Elbe on Monday. Muscular problems in his calf had slowed down the 29-year-old defender. Back in Germany, the Swede has now been thoroughly examined – and a “structural muscular injury in the left calf” has been identified. Smith is therefore “not available for the time being”, writes FC St. Pauli.
Smith, who is still waiting to make his debut in the shirt of his home country, was not used by national coach Graham Potter in Sweden’s first play-off match for the remaining World Cup tickets against Ukraine (3:1) in Valencia, Spain. The Scandinavians will now also play the decisive clash against Poland in Solna on Tuesday without the Hamburg native.
The development is particularly bitter for Smith, as he had already been unable to fulfill a call-up to the squad four times as a St. Pauli professional. “It wasn’t funny at all,” he said at a recent press conference for the Swedes. Now his fifth attempt to make his debut has also failed.
In addition to Smith, fellow defender Isak Hien (Atalanta Bergamo) is also missing and Victor Eriksson (Hammarby IF) has been called up to replace him. From the Bundesliga, Daniel Svensson (Borussia Dortmund), Hugo Larsson (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Mattias Svanberg (VfL Wolfsburg) remain in the Scandinavian squad after Smith’s departure.
At the Alte Försterei on Sunday
For FC St. Pauli, the relegation battle continues on Easter Sunday with an away game at 1. FC Union Berlin. Then without Smith.
The Kiez travel to the capital in third-bottom place in the table – two points behind the safety margin and three points ahead of northern rivals Wolfsburg in 17th place.
