Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that midfielder Lucas Bergvall picked up an ankle injury on Wednesday, and the Swede was spotted on crutches on Thursday.
Spurs emerged as 3-1 victors against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tie, taking a commanding lead before the return leg in Norway.
However, midfield sensation Bergvall was left out of the squad for Thursday’s clash and was spotted at the game walking to the bench using crutches.
Speaking prior to the match, boss Ange Postecoglou did not confirm the length of injury but said that the 19-year-old had damaged in his ankle, saying: “Unfortunately for Lucas, he picked up an injury in training yesterday. He tweaked his ankle unfortunately and misses out tonight.
“Disappointing for him because he’s been outstanding this year and he’s hugely disappointed with that and unfortunately he misses out.”
Tottenham’s injury issues were made worse on Thursday after both Dominic Solanke and James Maddison were forced off against Bodo/Glimt, though the Australian head coach was hopeful that their injuries were not particularly serious.
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Could Tottenham’s injuries derail their Europa League chances?
Bergvall did not feature regularly in the first half of the season but he has been instrumental to Spurs’ Europa League run, with the midfielder’s nine clearances against Eintracht Frankfurt in the sides’ second leg clash in Germany on April 17 only bettered by Micky van de Ven (10) and Cristian Romero (10).
However, Yves Bissouma was selected to fill the void left by the teenager and performed admirably on Thursday, and he is a capable box-to-box midfielder.
The injuries to Maddison and Solanke could prove more damaging if they turn out to be more serious than first feared, especially as few in the Spurs squad are as creative as the former.
Solanke has scored four goals and provided four assists in the Europa League this term in just 624 minutes of action, and his ability to hold the ball up against opposition defenders will be vital in the second leg against Bodo/Glimt.
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Can Spurs win the final?
Manchester United look certain to be in the final of the Europa League given they triumphed 3-0 against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday, but Tottenham should be confident that they can get the better of their Premier League rivals.
Spurs are unbeaten against the Red Devils in their last six clashes, winning four times and drawing two games in that period, and they have won all three encounters against United this term.
A win in the final would be hugely significant for the Londoners as they would qualify for the Champions League, and perhaps the revenue generated from participation in Europe’s premier competition would allow Postecoglou to sign more high-profile targets in the summer transfer window.
