Spurs boss Postecoglou allays Kulusevski injury concerns

May 11 (Reuters) – Tottenham Hotspur attacker Dejan Kulusevski’s injury is not serious and they are hopeful he can make a quick return ahead of this month’s Europa League final, manager Ange Postecoglou said on Sunday after a 2-0 Premier League loss to Crystal Palace.

The Sweden international went down after a coming-together with Palace defender Marc Guehi in the first half of the home defeat, receiving treatment on his knee before limping off the pitch in the 19th minute.

Kulusevski’s injury set off alarm bells among Tottenham fans, with their side facing Manchester United in 10 days’ time in the final in Bilbao.

“It should be okay. Just talking to him after, the medical team’s not too concerned with him. It’s more of a knock than anything else,” said Postecoglou.

“We’re hoping it should be okay. I don’t know. It’s hard to say.”

Sunday’s defeat was Tottenham’s 20th league loss of the season – a club record in the Premier League era – and left them in 17th place.

They have also lost 24 matches across all competitions – their second-most behind the 25 defeats they suffered in the 1991-92 season.

Asked about Tottenham’s league form, a defiant Postecoglou pointed to the injury crisis that decimated the club’s squad at the start of the year, with 11 senior players being sidelined during a particularly tough spell in February.

“People are banging the drum about this record with defeats, but if people don’t see there is a correlation between the two, it’s not exactly Pythagoras theorem,” he added.

“It’s quite simple to understand we would have had much better results if we didn’t have to navigate this. So, either you understand or you don’t and beat us over the head.

“I think we could have performed better and irrespective of the result you can still lose a game of football and our performance level wasn’t anywhere near where it should be.”

The Australian added that his side were struggling to balance the demands of their European success with their domestic duties, adding: “With everything, with elite sport, if you’re a little bit off it, you pay the price.

“We’re kind of trying to navigate this fine line of being prepared for a really big game. But we also need to perform at levels that you need to in the Premier League because it’s unforgiving. And we’re just not navigating that well.”