Antonio Conte said ahead of Tottenham’s clash against Crystal Palace on Wednesday that he is unsure when Dejan Kulusevski will be back in action.
Kulusevski was one of Spurs’ best players on show in their Boxing Day clash against Brentford but the Swede has since missed the clashes against Aston Villa and Palace through injury.
The 22-year-old’s absence is particularly problematic for Conte as the Italian is also without two other forward options in Richarlison and Lucas Moura, who are on the treatment table.
The Tottenham head coach has started Bryan Gil up front alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min in the last two games, and the Spaniard has shown plenty of promise, looking especially lively at Selhurst Park yesterday and picking up his first assist in the Premier League.
With a North London Derby and a clash against Manchester City on the horizon, Conte will be hoping to have the former Juve man back as soon as possible.
When asked about Kulusevski ahead of his side’s 4-0 win over the Eagles, the 53-year-old said (via Tom Barclay): “I don’t know. The medical department gave the possibility to play with us. Today they said he’s not available. I don’t know how close he is to coming back with us.”
Spurs Web Opinion
If the medical department initially gave the green light for Kulusevski to be involved before deciding against it, that suggests that the Swede is not far away from being fully fit. The 22-year-old can be rested in the FA Cup clash on Saturday and should recover before the North London Derby on January 15.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
