Tottenham's Dejan Kulusevski misses Aston Villa match with hamstring strain

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Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski is set for a scan after he was ruled out of the game against Aston Villa with a hamstring problem

Dejan Kulusevski with Tottenham team-mates Cristian Romero, Emerson Royal and Harry Kane ahead of the Premier League game against Tottenham on January 1, 2023.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski has been ruled out of his side's Premier League clash with Aston Villa on New Year's Day due to a hamstring strain.

Kulusevski arrived with his team-mates ahead of the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but was not named in the starting XI or among the substitutes by manager Antonio Conte.

The Swedish international has a small hamstring problem and is set for a scan on Monday, with Spurs hopeful the 22-year-old will miss only one game.

In his absence, Conte has handed a surprise start to Bryan Gil alongside Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

With Richarlison and Lucas Moura both sidelined, Spurs have no forward players on the bench and Conte will therefore have to tweak the formation if there is an injury against Villa.

According to reports, Conte is keen to sign a forward in January, although Spurs will also have a number of options when Kulusevski, Richarlison and Moura return to full fitness.

Ben Hayward
Ben Hayward
Weekend editor

Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.