Dejan Kulusevski has undergone knee surgery and will miss Tottenham’s Europa League final against Manchester United in Bilbao next Wednesday. Spurs have confirmed the setback, which came after Ange Postecoglou raised fears on Monday about the attacking midfielder’s involvement in the final.
Kulusevski was forced off in the 19th minute of the Premier League home defeat by Crystal Palace on Sunday, and Postecoglou said the player was still sore 24 hours later and everybody had their fingers crossed for him.
The 25-year-old’s absence against United is a significant blow given his fine form for much of the season and how Postecoglou is without his other main option for the No 10 role, James Maddison, who also has a knee injury. The manager has said previously that another midfielder, Lucas Bergvall, is likely to be out for the rest of the season with an ankle issue.
Postecoglou’s remaining options in midfield are Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr and Archie Gray.
Kulusevski, Spurs’ standout player over the first half of the season, missed a little more than six weeks after hurting an ankle at the end of February. But Postecoglou felt the Swede had shown signs of a return to form last Thursday in the Europa League semi‑final second-leg win at Bodø/Glimt and in the early running against Palace.
