Tottenham Hotspur have announced that versatile midfielder Ivan Perisic has sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury and will soon undergo surgery.
The Croatia international has appeared in all six competitive games for the Lilywhites so far this season, registering two assists since Ange Postecoglou took charge.
Perisic's only start came in Spurs' EFL Cup second-round exit to Fulham last month, where he provided an assist for Richarlison, but he has come off the bench in five Premier League contests.
During Saturday's clash with Sheffield United, Perisic sent in another pinpoint delivery for Richarlison to level the scores in added time, before also playing a big part in Dejan Kulusevski's dramatic late winner.
However, Spurs have now revealed that the 34-year-old recently sustained a "complex" ACL problem in his right knee during a training session, and he will go under the knife to address the problem.
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"We can confirm that Ivan Perisic has suffered a complex Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in his right knee," Tottenham said in a social media statement.
"The experienced Croatia international sustained the injury in non-contact training and will undergo surgery. Wishing you well in your recovery, Ivan 💪."
The Lilywhites have not put a timeframe on his recovery, but Perisic is likely to be at risk of missing the rest of the season given the nature of his injury, meaning that he may have played his final game in a Spurs shirt ahead of the expiry of his contract in 2024.
The former Inter Milan and Bayern Munich winger could therefore bid farewell next summer having played 50 games for Spurs since joining on a free transfer last summer, scoring one goal and setting up 14 more.
No Tottenham player provided more assists than Perisic (12) in the 2022-23 season, while he scored his only goal for the North London giants to date in their 3-3 draw with Southampton back in March.
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Perisic was a regular at wing-back during his debut campaign, but that six-goal thriller with the Saints marked Antonio Conte's final game in charge, and Perisic had fallen down the pecking order since Postecoglou implemented a 4-3-3 system.
Destiny Udogie has cemented himself as the Australian's first-choice left-back, while Son Heung-min and Manor Solomon have been vying for starts on the left-hand side of the attack, forcing Perisic to largely accept minutes from the bench.
The Croatian was linked with a move away over the summer before staying put, but an exit in 2024 is now seen as inevitable given his crushing injury blow, and Hajduk Split were believed to be considering a January approach.
However, it remains to be seen whether Perisic's injury will affect Hajduk's pursuit of the midfielder, who joins Rodrigo Bentancur, Bryan Gil, Ryan Sessegnon, Alfie Whiteman and Giovani Lo Celso in the Tottenham treatment room.
Only Lo Celso (thigh) is thought to be in with a chance of returning for Spurs' next game, which comes away to North London rivals Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Ben Knapton
