Tottenham suffered another dreadful defeat in the Premier League this Sunday, falling 2-0 to a very game Crystal Palace side in what was another pathetic showing from a team stuck in 17th. Spurs had just defeated Bodo Glimt convincingly in the second leg of the Europa League semifinals, and yet they cannot help but continue to project a face of abject futility in their own league.
To make matters potentially worse, key starter Dejan Kulusevski went down with a potential injury in just the 19th minute, and the forward was immediately hooked off for youngster Mikey Moore. The injury put a damper on what would have otherwise been a positive day from an injury return standpoint, as star man Son Heung-min was finally back on the pitch after more than a month out.
The good news, for now, is that Kulusevski's injury doesn't appear to be serious. Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "He should be ok. Just talking to him after. The medical team are not too concerned about him. It was just a knock."
Dejan Kulusevski is needed vs. Manchester United
That's reassuring news to hear in the immediate aftermath of the match. It's not definitive, and, as the James Maddison injury situation was a harsh reminder of, a positive update from a manager in a post-game press conference is not the same as an official clean bill of health from the medical team.
But if Kulusevski's injury were absolutely serious, we'd be hearing more concern from Postecoglou or a cagier update from a coach who was not overly rosy about Son's status coming into the match but then we saw the South Korean superstar playing anyway.
Hopefully Kulusevski is indeed OK. Even though he's been more down than up in recent weeks, Kulu is still an important player to Tottenham due to his work rate, versatility, and ability to create chances. With only days until the Europa League Final on May 21 against fellow Premier League strugglers Manchester United, Tottenham need all hands on deck with top midfielders Maddison and Lucas Bergvall already out for the season.
Prior to his injury against Crystal Palace, Kulusevski took one shot and completed both of his passes in 18 minutes. He has scored seven goals with four assists and averaged a hefty two key passes per game in the Premier League this season, making him one of the team's most valuable creators alongside Maddison and Son.