Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dejan Kulusevski is out of Thursday's Europa League round-of-16 tie against AZ Alkmaar with injury and is unlikely to return before the international break at the end of the month, head coach Ange Postecoglou said on Wednesday.
The Sweden international, who has 10 goals this season, has a foot injury and is expected to miss both legs of the knockout tie against Alkmaar as well as the Premier League matches against Bournemouth and Fulham.
"Deki [Kulusevski] is the only one [who hasn't travelled]. He's got a knock on his foot. He's not really sure when [it happened] to be honest," Postecoglou told a news conference.
"It has been sore for the last few weeks. He was able to train and play, but it didn't get any better, so further tests were necessary. We're still waiting to find out the extent of the injury," the Australian coach said.
Kulusevski's performances have been a rare cause for optimism in what has been a difficult season for the north London club.
Postecoglou's side are languishing in 13th place in the Premier League table and the Europa League represents their only opportunity of ending their long trophy drought.
Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin and Richarlison also remain sidelined for the start of the Europa League knockout stages.
Meanwhile, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke all made the trip after recovering from injuries, with the manager saying their availability will be assessed after training.
