Ange Postecoglou lamented the “disruptive” nature of Tottenham’s season on Friday as he revealed Richarlison will be sidelined for two or three weeks with a knee injury.
Postecoglou has had to contend with major injury problems this season, with James Maddison, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero all missing extended periods.
Spurs were also without both full-backs for their last game, a 2-1 home defeat to Wolves which dented their Champions League aspirations, after Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro sustained knocks.
Just as it appeared that Spurs may be nearing full strength, Postecoglou revealed Richarlison will miss Saturday’s London derby against Crystal Palace, and likely next week’s huge clash with fellow top-four hopefuls Aston Villa.
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In a team news update released by the club’s social media channels, Postecoglou said: “Going from the last game, Richy picked up a knee injury, so he’s going to be missing for two or three weeks.”
Asked about that blow at Friday’s pre-match press conference, Postecoglou added: “It’s disappointing as he’s been a key contributor but that’s how our season has gone.
“We get one back, we lose one. Now we’ll have to compensate for him being out.
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— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 1, 2024
“It’s been a very disruptive season for us, apart from the first 10 or 11 games. We had momentum and were in our rhythm.
“We’ve had stops and starts to our season. We’ve got a couple more games then there’s an international break. At least after that we’ll have regular football until the end of the year.”
In more positive news, Postecoglou revealed Udogie has a chance of facing Palace, though Porro is unlikely to return until the trip to Villa Park.
Ryan Sessegnon, meanwhile, has suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury and was forced to undergo surgery to rectify the issue this week.
On the former Fulham man, Postecoglou said: “It’s a tough one, it’s through no fault of his own, he’s worked hard to come back.
“It’s always challenging when it happens as a series of events and he hasn’t had any reward for all his hard work, his rehab, in terms of getting out there to play.
“He will get the support he needs, he’s had surgery, he’s a positive guy and he’s been through this before so hopefully that helps.”
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— Ryan Sessegnon (@RyanSessegnon) February 26, 2024