Tottenham are gearing up to face Manchester United in the Europa League Final on May 21 in Bilbao, Spain, and the entire balance of their season is on the line. Both Tottenham and Manchester United have fallen far below their standards in the Premier League, and both clubs are currently in the bottom five of the league. Qualifying for the Champions League by winning this game would be massive for both clubs, but especially for Spurs in finally winning a major trophy.
Spurs are at a disadvantage coming into the game after suffering three season-ending injuries. First, it was young center midfield standout Lucas Bergvall who went down, followed shortly by top playmaker James Maddison. And just a few days ago, it was revealed that Dejan Kulusevski's injury against Crystal Palace was more severe than initially anticipated; the Swedish international has already undergone knee surgery.
Amidst that backdrop of key injuries, there were rumblings that Bergvall could make a miracle return for the Europa League Final despite suffering an injury that carried a timeline more on the scale of months than weeks.
Tottenham need Bissouma and Bentancur to be at their best
As anyone reasonable - or anyone who knows better than to expect good injury luck for Tottenham Hotspur right now - expected, Bergvall won't be able to play against Manchester United next Wednesday.
Manager Ange Postecoglou confirmed Bergvall's absence by saying, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, âNo, itâs still the same sort of timeframe. Never long term but heâs just got out of his boot and taking his first steps on the grass but heâll likely be a while.â
So to any of the few people who were holding out hope for Bergvall's return and believe in the most bizarre of medical miracles, it's not happening. Tottenham are going to need to win against Manchester United without their 19-year-old sensation and most dynamic box-to-box midfielder.
The good news is that Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma have stepped it up big-time in key games this season, particularly across two legs in the semifinals vs. Bodo Glimt. Manchester United, of course, have higher caliber players than Bodo Glimt, but, still, this is a winnable game for Tottenham even without Bergvall.
If anything, the Maddison injury is even more concerning because of his playmaking, which is something Bergvall secondarily provides. And with Kulusevski also out, it's going to take a team effort from Tottenham to come up big in the clutch and make the plays on offense and defense that they need to in order to bring the Champions League - and a big trophy - back to North London.