We’re delighted to welcome injury expert Dr Rajpal Brar as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the injury situation at Tottenham Hotspur…
Tottenham Hotspur defender Ivan Perisic will not be returning to partial first-team training until April, according to Dr Rajpal Brar.
The injury expert claims that the Croatian has suffered significant damage not just to his anterior cruciate ligament, but also to other structures.
This delays the timeline of Perisic’s return and it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be ready for first-team football before the end of the season.
Discussing Perisic’s situation exclusively with Tottenham News, Dr Brar, a doctor in physical therapy and a sports scientist, said: “There’s a possibility that he does return late in the season earlier than expected but it would still surprise me some because he suffered a ‘complex ACL rupture’ which means significant damage to other structures and comes with a longer return timeline.
“Further, later season games tend to be higher in intensity so it is riskier to play after injury as well.
“Even if he is not going to return to training, he may take place in some partial team training late in the season which won’t be until April and then full training during pre-season over the summer.”
The 34-year-old has been a utility player for Spurs and while he’s predominantly played as a left-back and left-wing back, he’s also been deployed further up the pitch.
This season, the Croatian played just five league games and featured for a grand total of 99 minutes before his ACL injury ruled him out for months.
Last term, he featured significantly in the Premier League, playing at least a minute in 34 out of the 38 games.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Pereisic as his deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium runs out at the end of the season.
