Tottenham midfielder James Maddison will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
Maddison sustained the injury during last Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first-leg win over Bodo/Glimt, having scored Tottenham’s second goal in the 3-1 victory.
It is a second season-ending injury in a week for Spurs, who also lost midfielder Lucas Bergvall to an ankle injury picked up in training.
Lucas Bergvall has also suffered a season-ending injury
The duo’s injuries are a huge blow to Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou ahead of Thursday’s second leg in Norway, and a potential Europa League final later this month.
Speaking on the eve of Tottenham’s game with Bodo/Glimt, Postecoglou confirmed Maddison will not play again this term.
“Madders tweaked his knee in the first leg. He’s out, he’ll miss the rest of the season,” Postecoglou said.
“It’s disappointing for him more than anything else, because he has been a big catalyst for us.
“He misses out, but that’s been a constant of our season dealing with these things. We’ll [just need to] overcome that.”
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Maddison said he has an awful amount of respect for manager Ange Postecoglou and admitted performances in the league haven’t been good enough
Postecoglou had initially revealed after Sunday’s 1-1 draw at West Ham that Maddison’s injury looked to be more serious than first thought.
The Australian said at his post-match press conference: “It doesn’t look great, but we’re just waiting for further information, so we’ll just wait and see. We’ll probably get some clarity tomorrow [on Monday].
“It’s fair to say that it’s not looking promising, but I’ll just wait and see.”
Solanke set to be fit for Bodo/Glimt second leg
Dominic Solanke scored in the first leg win over Bodo/Glimt
There was more encouraging news, though, from Postecoglou on striker Dominic Solanke after Sunday’s Premier League draw at West Ham.
The England international limped off in last week’s first-leg home win over Bodo/Glimt and was left out of the squad for the 1-1 draw at the London Stadium.
But Postecoglou played down the 27-year-old’s injury and expects him to feature in this week’s second leg in Norway.
The Australian said at his post-match press conference: “Dom’s improving.
“We left him out today, but the medical team are pretty confident that he should be alright for Thursday.”
If Spurs do get past the Norwegian champions on Thursday, then a potential all-English final against Manchester United awaits them in Bilbao on May 21.
It would give Postecoglou’s side the chance to end their 17-year trophy drought and qualify for next season’s Champions League.