Tottenham Hotspur star Dejan Kulusevski will miss next Wednesday’s Europa League final against Manchester United in Bilbao after the club confirmed he has undergone surgery on a knee injury.
The Swedish attacking midfielder was taken off in the 19th minute of the weekend defeat to Crystal Palace, and will now be forced out of the showdown with Ruben Amorim’s Red Devils in Spain.
Spurs said in a statement: “We can confirm that Dejan Kulusevski suffered an injury to his right patella in our Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace last weekend.
“Following further specialist consultation, the midfielder has undergone surgery today and will commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff immediately. We’re all with you, Deki.”
The blow comes after Spurs had already lost fellow midfielders James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall to injury, with Ange Postecoglou seeking to win the club’s first trophy since the 2008 League Cup.
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Kulusevski’s absence will be a major blow to Spurs, with the former Juventus attacker having scored 10 goals in all competitions this season, including strikes in the 3-0 Premier League win over United at Old Trafford in September and in the 4-3 League Cup success over them at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in January.
Postecoglou had initially suggested that Kulusevski would be fine for the final and dismissed the injury in the wake of the loss to Palace.
The Australian boss said: “He should be okay, just talking to him after. The medical team are not too concerned with him, more of a knock than anything else, so we’re hoping he should be okay.”
Spurs and United would be hoping to end the season on a high no thanks to their poor league form.
The North London club will be targeting a third Europa League title having previously won it in 1972 and 1984.
For the Red Devils, they would be eyeing a second Europa League trophy after winning their first in 2017.
Mirror
