Tottenham Hotspur’s Dejan Kulusevski is set to miss the World Cup, as his knee injury is worse than thought.
Aftonbladet report on the situation today after Sweden manager Graham Potter presented his World Cup squad today. The Tottenham man was not a part of the group.
Tottenham star left out
The newspaper reports that the Tottenham forward is currently in training, but he has not played a match in a year.
He was not selected by Potter, though. And the Sweden boss admits it was a tough call to make on the 26-year-old.
“These are tough decisions to make when you take the team to a World Cup,” he said.
“I have not taken the task lightly. The decisions are based on a number of things. You can look at it in so many different ways.
“With Dejan it was a difficult decision considering where he is and what he has done with his rehab recently. We are a month away from the premiere and it is difficult to know if he will be where we want him.”
Spurs man bet on himself
The absence will be a bitter blow for Dejan Kulusevski, who has been working hard to get back for the summer tournament.
He’s now been out for a year with the knee injury, which at first was not believed to be serious. He was seen in Sweden training during the last international break and there was hope he would be returning soon.
Indeed, back in March, he was confident that he would be back in the group and ready to aid the group.
“I know what the chances are,” he told Viaplay after the playoff triumph against Poland.
“But I also know that if there is a person on the planet who can do this, I would bet on myself. I think I will be in the USA with the team and win games.”
Potter conversations with Kulusevski
Now, he definitely won’t be included, and Potter admits that it was a difficult decision for him to make.
“It is a very difficult decision. It’s about where he is and his last year. It would be very difficult for him to get to where he needs to be (for games),” Fotboll Skanalen report him saying.
“I’ve had many conversations with Dejan. It’s important to have his perspective. He’s desperate to get to the World Cup.
“But as a coach you have to make a decision in the end. What does it look like? What kind of impact can the players make? For the team? I felt in my gut that it was right for us and for him. But it’s tough to realize that. He wants to be there and he wants to play.
“He’s a professional. He accepts it. But it’s very difficult. A World Cup doesn’t happen often. I have to respect that.”