Dejan Kulusevski is reportedly set to miss Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League round of 16 first-leg clash against AZ Alkmaar due to a foot injury.
The Swedish midfielder was benched in Spurs’ recent Premier League match against Manchester City, though he came on as a substitute in the second half of their 1-0 loss at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Prior to being rested, Kulusevski had played every minute of Tottenham’s first five games in February.
Being left out of the starting lineup against City ended his run of 11 consecutive league matches where he both started and completed the game, a streak that dated back to mid-December.
However, it now appears he will miss his first match for club or country since January of last year.
According to The Mail, Kulusevski is undergoing tests to assess the severity of his foot injury. While the results are pending, it is believed he will almost certainly be unavailable for the Europa League tie against AZ and the weekend Premier League fixture against Bournemouth.
There is also speculation that he might not return to action until after the upcoming international break, which would rule him out of the second leg of the round of 16 and a league match against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Looking further ahead, Tottenham faces Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a month’s time, their second consecutive game in Fulham.
Kulusevski’s potential extended absence could coincide with the possible returns of forwards Dominic Solanke and Richarlison.
Spurs’ head coach, Ange Postecoglou, mentioned in mid-February that both players could be fit within three weeks. If that timeline holds, they might be available for selection against Bournemouth this weekend.
Postecoglou is expected to provide an update on the injury situation during a pre-match press conference tomorrow after the team arrives in the Netherlands.
Defensively, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, and Micky van de Ven could make their return to the squad.
