Dejan Kulusevski is hoping his injury nightmare is nearing an end
Tottenham Hotspur star Dejan Kulusevski has returned to first-team training and could be back involved in a matchday squad following the international break, as he looks to put a torrid 500 days behind him through injury.
The Swedish international has not featured for the club since May 2025, picking up a freak injury in the 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
At the time of the injury, former Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou felt the injury was minor before discovering the worst.
Kulusevski had surgery on his patella in May 2025 and there was hope that he'd return to action by the end of the year.
However, the injury proved to be more complicated than first feared and the Swede had to go under the knife again in March this year to clear up further issues.
The setback was a major blow for the 26-year-old who had hoped to play a part in Sweden's World Cup campaign, having been a key player for Spurs prior to his injury.
Now, it appears just a matter of time until Kulusevski is back involved in the matchday squad, with the clash with Manchester United the first realistic opportunity of a return, according to The Sun.
It is said that the player 'hopes' he will be in a matchday squad after the international break and there appears to finally be light at the end of the tunnel following 500 days on the sidelines.
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It's a huge boost for Roberto De Zerbi, who has already admitted Kulusevski's return will be like a new signing, but the Spurs boss knows he'll have to take his time with the forward.
Speaking in August, De Zerbi said: "It’s great watching him during the season and also because he deserves it because he suffered too much for his career for his age, for his level of human. I’m not speaking of him as a player but as a human."
The Swedish forward first returned to training on August 31 but had a minor reaction to the increase in workload and had to then sit out.