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“A massive blow…”- Tottenham made aware of first injured star’s importance as UEL final approaches
Dejan Kulusevski has enjoyed a successful individual campaign for Tottenham this season
Tottenham Hotspur are set to be without Dejan Kulusevski for the Europa League final. The Swedish international suffered a knee injury last week during the club’s Premier League clash against Crystal Palace. The versatile player fell on the pitch in the 19th minute of the game, holding his leg, as fans feared the worst before the upcoming final.
The 25-year-old has enjoyed a stellar individual campaign for Spurs this season. It can be said that the ex-Juventus star was one of the standout players for the Lilywhites during the first part of the season. But his performances dropped a notch in recent weeks after enduring an injury in March.
As per Sofascore, Kulusevski has managed to play 50 games this season in all competitions, scoring ten goals and providing 11 assists in that time. The Sweden international has been utilised either as a right-winger, or as a right-sided number 8 under Ange Postecoglou. He has thrived in both those positions and made an impact week in week out for the North London club.
Glenn Hoddle believes Tottenham will miss Dejan Kulusevski’s presence in midfield
Tottenham have managed to reach the Europa League final this season. The Lilywhites take on Manchester United in five days’ time and fans will hope that the club’s long-standing trophy drought comes to an end later next week. However, Spurs are going to be without three key players for the final. James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, and Dejan Kulusevski have all been ruled out from the game after enduring long-term injuries.
Now, Glenn Hoddle has weighed in and said that Spurs will miss Dejan Kulusevski’s presence in the team. Speaking on the Premier League Productions (as transcribed by TBR Football), Hoddle said,
“That’s right, it’s a massive blow for the club because Maddison is out as well. That position is up for grabs. I don’t know if you could look at tonight and Ange could say ‘I’ll play him in there.’”
The pundit added,
“I think they’d go for a straight three of Sarr, Bissouma and Bentancur, which isn’t the right balance, whether Bergvall might make it, I don’t know, but Kulusevski is a massive miss. He’s a top, top quality player and he likes playing against Man United as well.”
Glenn Hoddle suggests that missing Kulusevski for the final is a massive blow for Tottenham, as the club do not have a reliable backup option to fill up his space. The pundit also insists that Ange Postecoglou would opt for a midfield three of Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Pape Matar Sarr. Hoddle then ended by pointing out that not having Kulusevski would impact Tottenham’s performance as the Swede likes to play against Man United.
Dejan Kulusevski has always enjoyed an outing against the Red Devils. The 25-year-old has lost just once against United in six matches, scoring twice during that time. His latest goal involvement against Manchester United came during Spurs’ 4-3 win against Ruben Amorim’s side this season. The midfielder got on the scoresheet to help Tottenham knock the Red Devils out of the Carabao Cup.
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Now, Ange Postecoglou will need to mastermind a historic win in the Europa League final without his key player. The Lilywhites have the chance of bringing a European trophy back to N17 after 41 years. Winning the competition would also mean that Spurs would qualify for Champions League football next season.
