Manchester United have been given a major Europa League boost with Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski set to undergo surgery. The midfielder suffered a patella injury during Spurs’ defeat against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Kulusevski limped off during the first half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Sweden international now seems set to miss the Europa League final after undergoing surgery. It is a cruel blow for Kulusevski, who has been one of struggling Spurs' strongest performers this season.

A club statement read: “We can confirm that Dejan Kulusevski suffered an injury to his right patella in our Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace last weekend.

“Following further specialist consultation, the midfielder has undergone surgery today and will commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff immediately.”

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou had initially claimed that the medical team were not concerned by the 25-year-old’s injury. They believed he had only suffered a ‘knock’.

When asked about Kulusevski after the game, the Australian said: “He should be okay, just talking to him after. The medical team are not too concerned with him, more of a knock than anything else. So we're hoping he should be okay.”

United face Spurs in Bilbao on May 21. That would leave Kulusevski with only seven days to recover from his surgery before taking part in the crunch all-Premier League showdown.

Kulusevski enjoyed an excellent start to the season, but his form has since tailed off in tandem with his side's performances. He has scored 10 goals and provided 11 assists across all competitions, including scoring in the 2-0 win over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League semi-final second leg.

However, his last Premier League goal came in February. Used in a range of different positions, Kulusevski has been unable to help Spurs recover their league form. Postecoglou's side are 17th and have not won a top-flight match since April 6 - against relegated Southampton.

United also go into next week's European final having endured a dismal campaign. They are a place above Spurs in the Premier League. Head coach Ruben Amorim has repeatedly accepted that his side's form in his first six months in charge has not been good enough.

The Portuguese tactician even suggested that he should be sacked if United start next season in the same way they have ended this term. He said after United were beaten 2-0 by fellow strugglers West Ham: "Everybody here has to think seriously about a lot of things. Everybody is thinking about the [Europa League] final. The final is not the issue. We have bigger things to think about.

"I'm talking about myself and the culture in the club and the culture in the team. We need to change that. It's a decisive moment in the history of the club. We need to be really strong in the summer and to be brave because we will not have a next season like this. If we start like this, if the feeling is still here, we should give the space to different people."