Dejan Kulusevski injury news: Will Tottenham winger be fit to play in the Europa League final?
Tottenham have suffered a devastating injury blow in their bid to win the Europa League.
Ange Postecoglou is devastated Tottenham midfielder Dejan Kulusevski will miss next week’s Europa League final and has cast doubt over his chances of being fit for the start of next season.
Spurs’ preparations for Wednesday’s showpiece with Manchester United in Bilbao were dealt a blow when Kulusevski underwent surgery earlier this week on his right knee. An innocuous challenge with Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi on Sunday forced Kulusevski off and subsequent scans confirmed Tottenham’s worst fears, with the Sweden playmaker set for “months” on the sideline.
“Yeah, gutted for Deki,” Postecoglou said ahead of Friday’s trip to Aston Villa. “Disappointing news. Initially we thought it wasn’t too serious. The medical team were worried structurally about how the knee was but it blew up the day after and we knew there was an issue there.
“He has had surgery and it will put him out for at least a few months. I have only got basic information at the moment in terms of recovery, but it will certainly put him out for a while.”
Postecoglou was vague on a timeline for Kulusevski to return, but did squash suggestions he could be out for up to 12 months. Kulusevski had been one of Tottenham’s key players during the first half of the campaign before being sidelined with a foot issue in February.
With James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall recently consigned to the treatment table, Kulusevski would have been Spurs’ chief creative force against Manchester United.
“No, it wouldn’t be anywhere near 12 months, but again me putting a timeframe on wouldn’t be right because he only had the surgery yesterday,” Postecoglou added. “It’s fair to say months, but how many months I wouldn’t speculate at the moment.
“I think he’s grown as a player this year, he captained his country and then sort of got hit with a foot injury which set him back but then typical him, he worked hard at rehab and was really important for us away at Bodo.
“Started looking like he was getting back to himself, which would have been great for us, so for him to get another setback is is disappointing, but mentally he’s a very strong guy and I’m sure he’ll use this as a catalyst to come back stronger.”
Postecoglou played down the prospect of Bergvall being able to recover from an ankle injury for the Europa League final before he turned his focus to the “balancing act” of Friday’s match at Villa Park. Villa are in the hunt for a top-five finish and Champions League qualification.
“We are certainly going to go out there and try to win the game,” Postecoglou said. “I’m not sure about the integrity. There have been times this year when we have had to field weakened teams because of injury.
“People are thinking there is some sort of competitive balance that exists that doesn’t exist over the course of the season. I would be very surprised if people were questioning our integrity to try to win a game tomorrow.”