Tottenham’s preparations for the Europa League final against Manchester United have been hit by a wave of untimely injuries, with Dejan Kulusevski the latest name ruled out after undergoing surgery.
The clash with United now represents an opportunity to win their first major trophy since 2008, though injury setbacks have complicated what was already a difficult task.
The clash with United now represents an opportunity to win their first major trophy since 2008, though injury setbacks have complicated what was already a difficult task.
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00:00Tottenham Hotspur's preparations for the Europa League final against Manchester United have been hit by a wave of untimely injuries with Dejlan Skouzevski, the latest name ruled out after undergoing surgery.
00:15The Swedish international suffered damage to his right patella in the recent 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, having initially been expected to shake off what appeared to be a minor knock.
00:26But further scans revealed the extent of the issue and he is now expected to be out for several months, missing not just the final, but a large chunk of Spurs' pre-season.
00:38Reflective and consistent with everything else that's happened this season. I've said a few times we just haven't had a smooth run at things.
00:44Every time we look like we're getting to a place where we're looking in decent shape squad-wise or even personnel-wise.
00:52Because invariably we've been hit in obviously the last few weeks. Again, it's just circumstance that it's happened probably in the one area of the park.
01:03Lukas Bergvall will also miss the final. The young Swede had emerged as a breakout star in Tottenham's midfield before suffering ankle ligament damage in training ahead of the semi-final first leg.
01:15Speculation had surfaced, suggesting a possible late return, but manager Ange Postacoglu confirmed the teenager has only just come out of his protective boot and he's taking his first steps back on the grass.
01:28James Madison remains sidelined as well. Following the knee injury, he sustained in the same semi-final.
01:35As it stands, Postacoglu has just three fit senior midfielders, Rodrigo Bentancur, Vespasuma and Papi Matar-Sar.
01:43Archie Gray is also in contention and could be called upon in Bilbao this week, depending on the system that Spurs deploy.
01:51Tottenham faced Aston Villa in their penultimate Premier League fixture and used the game as a chance to test tactical alternatives and assess their remaining midfield options.
02:02The clash with United now represents an opportunity to win their first major trophy since 2008, though injury setbacks have complicated what was already a difficult task.