Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Dejan Kulusevski will be out of his knee surgery for a few months, said Ange Postecoglou manager and will miss the Europa League final on Wednesday.
The Sweden International was injured during the weekend at the 2-0 Premier League defeat of Crystal Palace in Crystal Palace
“Clearly disappointing news. Initially we thought it wasn't too serious … It was a bit blown up the next day and we knew that there was a problem,” Postecoglou told reporters on Thursday.
“He has undergone the operation that will release him for at least a few months.”
Asked if Kulusevski would be back before the start of the following season, Postecoglou said it was too early to say.
“We will see. I currently only have basic information in terms of recovery, but it will certainly release him for a while,” he added.
Kulusevsky's Sweden teammate Lucas Bergvall, who returned to the training after running an ankle injury last month, is not ready to return, the manager said.
“We just didn't have flexible things. Every time we look like we're coming to a place where we look in a decent shape squadron, we are always touched (due to injuries),” Postecoglou added.
Spurs, who also lost playmaker James Maddison to a knee injury earlier this month, are 17th in the competition and have lost seven of their last 10 games in the competition.
Postecoglou said earlier that winning the Europa League could be a turning point for the club.
However, Postecoglou was happy to see how Captain Son Heung-Min returned to action against Palace after repairing a foot injury.
“He will definitely play tomorrow, whether we will start with him or not, we will have a look … he will certainly play at least half a game tomorrow,” Postecoglou said about the South Korea.
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The manager said he would find a strong side with the aim of beating the sixth placed villa before he was confronted with United on Wednesday.
“We will definitely go outside to try to win the game tomorrow and bring a team that hopefully that job is right,” he said.
“This is a challenge for the players … It is an opportunity for them to bring their name forward the next week for the big game.”