Tottenham Hotspur could be hit with yet another major injury blow ahead of the Europa League final, with Dejan Kulusevski facing a race against time to be fit for the clash at Bilbao.
James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall recently joined long-term absentee Radu Dragusin on the treatment table, but Tottenham Hotspur had another injury scare during their 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Dejan Kulusevski was forced off on 19 minutes with a knee injury, with the Swede eventually being taken off after initially trying to soldier on.
Ange Postecoglou said after the game that Kulusevski had only sustained a knock and that he should be ready to go for the final, but it turns out that might not quite be true.
Dejan Kulusevski could miss Tottenham’s Europa League final
Manchester Evening News have now indicated that Postecoglou’s diagnosis might have been too optimistic. According to their sources, the attacking midfielder’s chances of being fit for Wednesday’s final in Bilbao have now been reduced.
Losing Kulusevski would come as a major blow to Postecoglou, given that he is already without his two other creative midfielders in Maddison and Bergvall.
Spurs fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that the 25-year-old makes it in time for the final.
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Who will Postecoglou turn to if Kulusevski is unavailable?
The Tottenham boss potentially faces a big dilemma regarding who to play as the number ten if Kulusevski does not recover in time.
He decided to experiment with Wilson Odobert in that role against Palace with minimal success. After the game, Ange Postecoglou indicated that playing Odobert centrally was borne out of necessity rather than something he had planned.
The other option for Postecoglou would be to pack his midfield with runners and play all three of Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr and Rodrigo Bentacnur, although that trio certainly does not scream creativity.