Ange Postecoglou has revealed some heartbreaking news about how close Lucas Bergvall will be to a Tottenham return ahead of the Europa League final.
Tottenham Hotspur have booked their ticket to Bilbao for the Europa League final after dominating Bodø/Glimt over two legs. However, it is not all plain sailing, as a recurring theme of injuries this season has once again hit the Tottenham first-team squad.
Spurs have been without club captain Heung-min-Son since he picked up a foot injury, while James Maddison has been ruled out of the Europa League final with a knee injury.
Bergvall is another casualty of Tottenham’s recent injury problems. The teenage prodigy delighted supporters by recently signing a six-year contract with Spurs, but he remains on the sidelines after sustaining damage to ligaments in his ankle.
Lucas Bergvall will miss Tottenham’s Europa League final
Postecoglou has given an update on Bergvall’s injury in his pre-match press conference ahead of Crystal Palace’s visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
His revelation is that the 19-year-old is likely to miss Tottenham’s high-stakes clash with Manchester United. However, had the final been a fortnight later, there is a good chance Bergvall would have been available.
According to Football London, Postecoglou confirmed that Bergvall would miss the rest of the season through injury, but could have featured in the final had it been in early June.
Postecoglou said: “Yeah, that is unlikely. If we had another two weeks, potentially he could. I am sure he will be trying, I am sure Madders will be trying mate just to get the strip on.
“Unfortunate for both of those guys, but that has been our season. Nothing has run smooth. I am sure there will be parts of themselves really disappointed they are not part of this most important part, but they have been so integral to us getting here.
“As I mentioned after the game, I don’t think there is a single player in the dressing room who hasn’t contributed to help us get to where we have got to today and should we have success, we’ll make sure they get acknowledged in the right way.”
How Bergvall’s absence will impact Spurs
Bergvall has been a bright spark this season in a Spurs team which has often been the opposite. His superb dribbling and phenomenal workrate has been a joy to watch and he will be missed in Bilbao.
However, all hope is not lost. Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur both put in top performances against Bodø/Glimt. Bissouma in particular has struggled this season, but if he and Bentancur can repeat their displays on Thursday in the Europa League final, they should make up for Bergvall’s unavailability.
