Dejan Kulusevski has appeared to be moving well during his individual work in Sweden after a minor setback briefly halted his Tottenham comeback, according to football.london. The 26-year-old has used the international break to build his fitness in Sweden while the club manages his return to full training.
The Sweden international has not played since damaging his knee in the defeat to Crystal Palace in May 2025. He required surgery and has spent more than a year working his way back towards full training.
De Zerbi positive over Dejan Kulusevski progress
Kulusevski was reintegrated into Roberto De Zerbi’s squad at the start of September. A “small problem” in training then forced him to stop again, as the club continued to manage his recovery after a long lay-off.
Speaking before the Nottingham Forest match, De Zerbi struck a positive tone. “Kulusevski started with us in the beginning of the week, and then the last two days, a small, small problem, stopped, but I think he’s in a good way,” the Spurs head coach said. “It’s going very well. So I think we can be positive with him. I’m looking forward to having Deki in the squad.”
De Zerbi has also been clear about what a fit Kulusevski would add to his side. “We have to manage Deki in the best way we can, but this is a great thing for us because he is a good player and a good guy,” he said. “When he is at top condition and over the injury, he will be like another new signing.”
Dejan Kulusevski keeps busy during the break
Rather than switch off during the international window, the midfielder has been topping up his conditioning at home. A video posted on Instagram showed him moving freely on a basketball court in Sweden during an evening session with psychology coach Artin Hojat, though a basketball clip cannot establish whether he is ready for competitive football.
Kulusevski is a known basketball fan. He surprised students at Haringey Sixth Form College, across the road from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, at a community event in April 2023, and he has spoken before about his love of the sport.
Bench return is the next step
A report citing Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold says Kulusevski trained at facilities in Sweden during his time off over the break. The focus now is on building a bank of full team training without further setbacks.
Once he completes that block of work, he is expected to take his place on the Tottenham bench as the first step towards full match sharpness.
Kulusevski was registered in Tottenham’s Premier League squad this season in place of Richarlison, underlining how firmly he remains in De Zerbi’s plans. He was not called up by Sweden head coach Graham Potter for the current internationals, which has allowed him to keep working on his conditioning away from the spotlight.
Exactly when he returns remains unclear. Club staff are managing his workload carefully after such a long absence, so any timeline should be treated as provisional until the club confirms otherwise. His progress is still a welcome boost for De Zerbi, who has been juggling several attacking absentees in the opening weeks of the season.
Featured photo: Tottenham Hotspur (official website), from the club’s August gallery of Kulusevski stepping up his recovery. The inline image is a separate photo from the same official gallery.
For more Spurs coverage, visit our Tottenham Hotspur News page.
Discover more from THFCNews
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
