Tottenham Hotspur star Ivan Perisic has picked up an ACL injury and is expected to miss the rest of the season, the club has confirmed on TottenhamHotspur.com.
The statement said Perisic sustained the injury in non-contact training and is set to undergo surgery. The winger will then begin his rehabilitation but the club fear he won’t play again this season.
Fabrizio Romano suggests that Perisic hopes to make a quicker than expected recovery to return in March or April to help the North London side in the final stretch of the 2023/24 term.
Perisic also feels he can return to full fitness in time to play for Croatia at EURO 2024. While Zlatko Dalic’s team have gone almost all the way in the previous two World Cups, Spain knocked them out in the round of 16 during EURO 2020.
The 34-year-old has been a critical player for Croatia, scoring 33 goals and providing 30 assists in 129 appearances in all competitions. However, whether the veteran forward will be able to represent his country in Germany next year remains to be seen.
Tottenham signed Perisic in the summer of 2022 as a free agent when Antonio Conte was still in charge of the team. The Italian manager had worked with the Croatian during their time together at Inter Milan and it seemed like a wise move back then.
Perisic a decent squad player
However, Conte struggled to get the best out of Spurs and eventually parted ways with the club. However, despite the Italian manager’s struggles, Perisic did bring a lot to the table in the previous campaign with his versatility and creativity in the final third.
While the forward has not been the go-to player in Ange Postecoglou’s starting lineup, he has still made some impressive cameos off the bench for Tottenham in recent fixtures.
However, it looks like Spurs will be without one of their main squad players for the foreseeable future. Obviously it’s a blow to lose a player like Perisic but with no European or Carabao Cup football to dealt with, Postecoglou will hope his squad is able to cope.
An ACL injury takes a significant toll on a player and it is usually difficult for some to get back to their best after it. However, it will be interesting to see how Perisic’s recovery goes and if he can make his way back into Spurs’ team during the business end of the season.
