Dejan Kulusevski has undergone surgery on his right knee ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League final against Manchester United.
Spurs have not ruled him out for the rest of the season and say he “will commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff immediately”.
Kulusevski, who suffered the injury during Spurs’ 2-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace in the Premier League last weekend, posted on Instagram after news of his surgery had been confirmed.
A video of his best moments from the season was accompanied by a caption, which read: “For the people that I gave joy this year, thank you. I appreciate you and I love you. I pray for you.
“Don’t be sad, we will be back and we coming for everybody.”
The 25-year-old returned from a foot injury last month and featured in wins over Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt that sealed the club’s spot in the Europa League final which takes place next Wednesday in Bilbao.
Kulusevski has 10 goals and 11 assists in 50 appearances for the club this season.
Spurs, who have also lost James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall to injury in the last two weeks, were boosted by the return of captain Heung-Min Son against Palace and Ange Postecoglou was pleased with his progress after a month out with a foot issue.
Speaking on Monday, Postecoglou said: “Firstly, from a physical standpoint, he is good. It was good for him to get minutes yesterday and he had a good session today.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou
“It was important he got some minutes yesterday against Crystal Palace because he needed them, more for himself physiologically.
“He had a good session today. He was never going to do the whole session because he played yesterday. He feels good and we’ve still got eight or nine days to go, plus a game on Friday where we can build him up.
“It’s great to have him available. He’s been a big catalyst this year and a big driver.”
Tottenham attacker Brennan Johnson had a scare during the club’s opening training session this week after being accidentally caught by Sergio Reguilon, but was fine to continue.
Postecoglou joked: “I’m putting them in cotton wool for the next 10 days. Reggy tackled Brennan and they’re on the same team, so that is the way things are going!”
Son: Europa League glory ‘final piece’ I need in my Spurs puzzle
Son is desperate to lead Tottenham to Europa League glory and complete the missing “final piece” of his career at the club.
Spurs captain Son has scored 173 goals in 451 appearances across 10 seasons in north London but failed to land silverware and has watched long-serving team-mates Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane depart in recent years.
The South Korean has been involved in two painful cup final defeats for Tottenham to Liverpool – in the Champions League in 2019 and a Carabao Cup loss at Wembley to Manchester City four years ago – but believes the feeling around next Wednesday’s showpiece against Manchester United is different.
During an interview with Korean media at the club’s Europa League final media day on Monday, Son said: “We’ve been talking about this for years. The biggest reason I stayed at Tottenham was because I wanted to do something others couldn’t achieve.
“That’s probably why I’m where I am now. You need all the pieces to complete a puzzle. I think I’ve gathered all the other pieces to make that puzzle complete.
“It feels like I’ve been missing that one most important final piece and I’ve been trying to find it for the past 10 years. I really hope I can finally complete the puzzle this time.
“It feels different this time. I really want to win – more than anyone else, I think. So many people are supporting us with the same desperate passion I feel. If we prepare well, I believe we can achieve it.”
