Spurs Suffer Major Setback Ahead of Europa League Final
Tottenham have taken a big hit right before the Europa League final, as Dejan Kulusevski has undergone surgery on his right knee. The Swedish midfielder picked up the injury during Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace after a tough tackle from Palace captain Marc Guehi. Kulusevski had to leave the pitch in just the 19th minute, and although manager Ange Postecoglou initially sounded hopeful about the injury not being too serious, things took a turn for the worse.
Scan Results Confirm the Worst for Kulusevski
By Monday, Postecoglou’s optimism had faded, and after undergoing scans and seeing a specialist, Kulusevski was ruled out of the final. Tottenham confirmed the bad news in a statement: “Dejan Kulusevski suffered an injury to his right patella during our match against Crystal Palace. After consulting with specialists, he has had surgery and will now begin his rehab with the club’s medical team.”
Injury Woes Continue for Tottenham’s Midfield
Kulusevski’s absence adds to a growing list of injured midfielders at Spurs. James Maddison is still recovering from a knee injury he picked up on May 1 during the 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt and won’t return until later in the summer. Meanwhile, Lucas Bergvall remains sidelined after damaging ankle ligaments in training before the Europa League semi-final. With all three players unavailable, Spurs are now facing a serious creativity crisis heading into the final against Manchester United in Bilbao—where they’ll be looking to break a 17-year trophy drought.
United Face Their Own Injury Concerns
Manchester United aren’t injury-free either. Centre-backs Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, and Ayden Heaven all missed a training session just a week before the final. Yoro limped off with a foot injury during United’s recent loss to West Ham, while De Ligt has been struggling since their match against Brentford. Heaven was seen doing solo work before the second leg against Athletic Bilbao but didn’t appear at Wednesday’s training. On a brighter note, Jonny Evans and Toby Collyer trained with the squad, and Diogo Dalot completed some individual work. However, Lisandro Martinez and Joshua Zirkzee have already been ruled out for the season.
