LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 21: Dejan Kulusevski of Tottenham Hotspur reacts during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Nottingham Forest FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Dejan Kulusevski will miss the Europa League final
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."
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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.
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.
Kulusevski was forced off in the 19th minute of the loss to Palace
Kulusevski was forced off in the 19th minute of the loss to Palace
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."
There was some good news for Spurs on the injury front from the Palace defeat, with skipper Son Heung-min emerging from the bench to play for the final 32 minutes.
Postecoglou said: "It was good to get him some match minutes and hopefully we can get him some more match minutes against Villa on Friday. It would be good to get him back, involved and available."
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