Dejan Kulusevski Tottenham replacement hint dropped for Man Utd Europa League final

Ange Postecoglou may have already hinted at the Tottenham star that will replace Dejan Kulusevski for next Wednesday's Europa League final against Manchester United.

The Swede picked up a knee injury against Crystal Palace this past weekend and while Postecoglou was hopeful it was just a knock,

With Spurs playing their penultimate game of the season away to Aston Villa on Friday evening, the Tottenham boss held his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon with many questions arriving on Kulusevski

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"Disappointing news,". "Initially we thought it wasn’t too serious. The medical team were worried structurally about how the knee was but it blew up the day after and we knew there was an issue there. He has had surgery and it will put him out for at least a few months."

Asked if he could be back in time for the start of next season, he replied: "We will see. To be honest, I have only got basic information at the moment in terms of recovery but it will certainly put him out for a while."

With it likely he misses the bulk of pre-season, Kulusevski may not be able to get completely into a rhythm of games until late 2025. In the short-term, it is a huge blow for Tottenham ahead of their biggest game in the last six years, especially with James Maddison and

Having only made enforced changes to his Europa League starting XI's in the knockout stages, nine spots have likely already been decided. Who to play on the left and occupy the final position in midfield are big decisions that await Postecoglou.

Club captain Son Heung-min will likely reclaim his place on the left if he makes it through the Villa game,

Based on previous calls from Postecoglou, the Tottenham head coach may have already revealed who he plans to deploy in the engine room alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma. In the semi-final second leg against Bodo/Glimt, Sarr came on for Brennan Johnson midway through the second half.

That alteration saw Kulusevski moved out to the right and a flat midfield three of Sarr, Bissouma and Bentancur see out the victory. Game-state made that change necessary and therefore it is possible Postecoglou gambles with a more creative option such as Odobert or even Mathys Tel.

However, Sarr is perhaps the most pragmatic replacement as long as Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie are able to bomb forward.

He is also capable of delivering in front of goal and it was his strike against Man United last season that kicked off Spurs' run of beating their upcoming opponents four times out of the last five attempts. Despite not featuring too regularly, he has still directly contributed to nine goals in this campaign.

A look behind the scenes & Postecoglou's big decision against Aston Villa. to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!