London, May 5 (IANS) Tottenham Hotspur’s England midfielder James Maddison is expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, the club has confirmed on Monday.
Maddison hurt his knee in Thursday’s 3-1 win at home to Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of the Europa League semifinal and although coach Ange Postecoglou had originally been optimistic about the seriousness of the problem, tests have now shown the injury is more serious than at first thought.
The news means Maddison will miss this week’s Europa League return leg in Norway and his side’s remaining Premier League matches, as well as the Europa League final in Bilbao on May 21st if his side qualifies, reports Xinhua.
Maddison, born in Coventry, England, has been a key player in what has been a difficult season for Spurs in the Premier League, which has contrasted with the club’s progress in Europe.
The 28-year-old has 12 goals in 45 appearances, with three of those and three assists coming in Europe.
Tottenham Hotspur are currently in 16th position in the 20-team league with 38 points from 35 matches, just a point below Manchester United in 15th position and Everton in 14th but with the same points. Liverpool FC have already clinched the title with 82 points from 35 matches, with Arsenal in second position with 67 points. Dethroned champions Manchester City are in third position with 64 points from 35 matches.
To make matters worse for the Spurs, they have secured only one win since the end of February; Ange Postecoglou’s side has had nothing go their way this season.
Maddison expressed his frustration at their results this season and said he wants to do well for their loyal supporters and bring home Tottenham’s first trophy since 2008.
“It hurts me a lot that we’re having a poor season,” said the England midfielder. “But this is why we’re so motivated for this competition, because the season can still be so special. People talk all the time about Tottenham being without silverware for however many years, but we’re in the last four, and we’ve got a great opportunity in a competition we’ve been pretty solid in this year. We want to reward them because we feel the support.”
–IANS
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