Tottenham are in desperate need a creative spark when they return to Premier League action after the extended three-week international break.
Spurs have scored just two goals in the top flight so far this season, with both of those strikes coming late on in their most recent match against Aston Villa, when the result was already beyond them at 3-0 down.
They have yet to win in the Premier League in 2026/27, picking up pretty much where they left off last season, having only avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the season.
A massive overhaul of the playing squad under Roberto De Zerbi has so far not yielded as much as goals, let alone results and with the pressure on the Italian's shoulders, he needs someone to get Spurs out of their funk and turning possession and control of matches into results.
New signing Omar Marmoush has enjoyed a good international break so far, scoring twice in the 5-0 win over South Sudan in African Cup of Nations qualifying.
But back at home, Tottenham supporters will have an eye on footage from training at Hotspur Way, where De Zerbi is continuing to work with those players not called up by their countries.
Excitement builds over Dejan Kulusevski return to action
And keen eyes will have spotted that Dejan Kulusevski has featured in training videos released by the club. That should not be too surprising, given the news that the Swede was back in training with the first team, but there would have been concerns that the forward had suffered a flare-up of his injury issues when De Zerbi stated that he had a "small, small problem" that had halted his progress with the team.
The 26-year-old has not played a game for Tottenham since picking up a knee injury in May 2025 and his absence has been felt, particularly given the injuries to other players in attacking positions.
He will be like a new signing for De Zerbi, who has only been able to see him on the training pitches so far in his tenure at Spurs, although there will be a reluctance to expect too much too soon from the Swede, after 17 months on the sidelines.
De Zerbi said just last month: "We have to manage Deki in the best way we can, with the medical staff, physical staff, but it's a great thing for us. He's a good player, he's a good guy and he deserves to play again."
We have to work day by day, also for Deki the international break is important because when he will be at the top of condition and pass over the injury, I think it's a great signing. A new signing for us, another new signing.
However, if training ground footage is anything to go by, he is looking sharp and on the periphery of making an impact on the first team squad.
A video released on Tottenham's social media channels on Wednesday initially showed Kulusevski walking during a drill, but there was a moment at the end of the clip that would have had supporters sitting up and taking notice.
Kulusevski can briefly be seen centrally, fending off the attentions of two players before threading a ball through for Mohammed Kudus to latch onto from the right-hand side and coolly slot home.
Kulusevski has mainly been used on the right-hand side of the Spurs attack since arriving from Juventus in the summer of 2023, but he has also been deployed through the middle in the No.10 role behind the striker.
That is a role that James Maddison took up regularly before his ACL injury ruled him out for most of the 2025/26 season and that has stopped him from playing a big role so far this season. Xavi Simons was signed last summer to fulfil that role too, but he has since suffered an ACL injury of his own and is unlikely to return to action until the start of 2027.
It seems unlikely that Kulusevski will be thrown straight into the starting lineup for the game against Manchester United after the international break, but, all being well, it should not be long before Kulusevski is ready to walk out onto the pitch once more.
And with Savio starting to find his feet and Kudus also returning from his own injury in recent weeks, Kulusevski could be just what the doctor ordered for Spurs in the No.10 role to show just what the side has been missing.