Dejan Kulusevski has been ruled out of the Europa League final vs Manchester United following knee surgery
Tottenham Hotspur will try to save their season by winning the UEFA Europa League trophy next week. They are up against Premier League rivals Manchester United in the grand finale at San Mames in Bilbao.
Against Manchester United, expectations are high that the Lilywhites could overcome them, given their head-to-head record this season. Ange Postecoglou’s side have beaten the Red Devils thrice (twice in the league and once in the Carabao Cup), so they hold the edge heading into the game.
However, Spurs’ chances of ending their long trophy drought has received a seismic setback now that it has been revealed that Dejan Kulusevski will miss the Europa League final in Bilbao. The 25-year-old was forced off with an injury in the 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend. Ange Postecoglou felt it was nothing more than a knock, as the Sweden international skipped training on Monday and Tuesday.
Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski ruled out of Europa League final vs Man United following knee surgery
Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski ruled out of Europa League final vs Man United following knee surgery
However, a bombshell update was delivered on Wednesday evening that Dejan Kulusevski has undergone knee surgery, ruling him out for the rest of the season. Tottenham were already without James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall for the final, and now Kulusevski’s injury will further limit their creativity and vision.
Speaking on talkSPORT show, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara lamented the absence of Kulusevski for the North London club’s biggest game of the season on May 21, stating it as “killer blow”.
“We got Kulusevski you know he’s come back in. He’s getting fit and he was our shining star really at the start of the season,” Jamie O’Hara said on talkSPORT.
“To lose him I’m like oh my god like where that it, because Kulusevski destroyed Man United at Old Trafford. Destroyed them, so to lose him is an absolute killer blow mate, and now I look at it and go oh mate we’re going into this final like on the last leg.”
The N17-based club’s season has been ravaged by injuries, with Kulusevski becoming the latest casualty. The Swede was undoubtedly the club’s best player in the first half of the season, thriving in a new-found central role. His form dipped a bit since February and the Scandinavian talent also had to spend more than a month on the sidelines due to a foot injury.
knee injury just a week before the European final is a huge setback. To not have him, Maddison and Bergvall—three key midfielders—has left Postecoglou with plenty of problems. The most sensible solution would be to bring Pape Matar Sarr into the starting XI and start him along with Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur.
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The other option would be to start Wilson Odobert in the No.10 role, as was the case in the defeat to Palace last weekend, but that would lead to tinkering with the formation and disturbing the balance of the team. Big Ange certainly has to make some big calls on May 21.