‘Not close’: Antonio Conte shares concerning injury update ahead of Tottenham vs Newcastle United today

By Milo Clay

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has shared a concerning injury update on Dejan Kulusevski ahead of the clash against Newcastle United today. 

Kulusevski has been a revelation for Spurs ever since he made the switch from Juventus back in January. 

The 22-year-old has been a standout performer for Conte’s men but has been ruled out of their five Premier League games. 

The winger picked up an injury while on international duty with Sweden last month and has not played a single game since. Now, Conte has said that Kulusevski is not close to returning for Spurs. 

Conte shares Kulusevski update 

Speaking to Spurs Play ahead of the clash against Newcastle today, Conte shared a concerning injury update on Kulusevski. 

The Italian was asked if the Spurs winger is any closer to recovering from a thigh injury. 

“No. At this moment Deki’s not close to recovering,” Conte responded. 

“It’s not good news for us and for this reason, he’s not available on Sunday.” 

Kulusevski did return to training ahead of Spurs’ clash with Eintracht Frankfurt just under two weeks ago but has suffered another setback. 

Spurs have missed the Swede’s incisiveness in the final third, especially after Richarlison also picked up an injury against Everton last weekend. 

Conte’s men lacked any real cutting edge against Manchester United on Wednesday and looked in desperate need for a player like Kulusevski. 

The Italian has been handed a boost with the return of Lucas Moura but he will be desperate to have Kulusevski back as soon as possible. 

The winger provides a real balance to Spurs’ front-three, complementing Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane perfectly. 

It’s a worry that Kulusevski is not close to returning as Spurs face a packed fixture schedule before the World Cup gets underway.