Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury, the team have learned, so hurting greatly the Spurs’ icon scored the second goal in a 3-1 victory during his side’s Europa League semi-final first-leg win over Bodo/Glimt.
Head coach Ange Postecoglou confirmed the sad news and said the Englishman’s injury is more severe than first anticipated.
“Madders tweaked his knee in the first leg. He’s out, he’ll miss the rest of the season,” the manager 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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The Coventry born star’s lack is a major blow for the North London outift given a possible Europa League final in Bilbao later this month. The England international has been instrumental in supplying midfield goals and creativity from Postecoglou’s squad, thus being central to their success.
With the London team aiming for European silverware, his absence creates a great void.Worsening things, this is Tottenham’s second season-ending injury in a week. Further reducing the gaffer’s midfield possibilities, midfielder Lucas Bergvall has also been ruled out owing ankle injury.
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The Australian manager suggested after Tottenham’s 1-1 draw with West Ham on Sunday that the 28-year-old’s injury might be more severe than first believed. His remarks implied the club was still looking for confirmation.
Stating in his post-match news conference, the coach said: “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.”
Midfield crises for Spurs?
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The 59-year-old boss has to rearrange his midfield now that both Maddison and Bergvall are gone. As Tottenham aims for a strong finish in both domestic and European tournaments, their depth will be tested. In the English midfielder’s absence, other creative contributors probably will have to rise to meet the expectation.
While Spurs supporters dream of a valiant Europa League final showing, the team has to tackle yet another obstacle in a season marked by injuries.
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