Fernando Torres or Ruud van Nistelrooy? Premier League legends used to assess Dejan Kulusevski’s chances of becoming a Spurs star again after injury nightmare

Kulusevski’s last competitive appearance came on May 11, 2025, when he was forced off inside the opening 20 minutes of a meeting with Crystal Palace. A patella problem had been troubling the 26-year-old for a while, with it becoming painfully clear that drastic action on the treatment front was required.

Multiple surgeries have been undertaken since then, with the Swede facing a number of demoralising setbacks in what has become a lengthy rehabilitation process. Not a single minute of action was seen during the 2025-26 campaign.

World Cup dreams have also been dashed, with it impossible to take any gambles on his fitness, but the hope is that a positive pre-season will see Kulusevski ready to rejoin the Tottenham ranks when Premier League resumes in August.

After so long out, inevitable questions have been asked of whether the former Juventus star - who had become a talismanic presence in north London - will ever be the same player again. When that poser was put to Murphy, the former Spurs midfielder - speaking in association with NetBet Football - told GOAL: “I don't think there's a generic rule to that.

“I think the longer you're out, the harder it gets to recapture and get back. Some players never get it back. I remember Fernando Torres after his bad knee injury at Liverpool and then he went to Chelsea and just couldn't find the same form. Arguably, Rodri hasn't really hit the heights since he's come back and he was out quite a long time.

“I remember the best example was probably Ruud van Nistelrooy doing his knee and then delaying his transfer to Man United and when he did eventually get there he was an incredible player - and Alan Shearer came back from a bad knee injury and banged in loads of goals.

“It depends on the individual and what the injury was. I certainly think if Kulusevski and James Maddison, to name two, had been fit for half this season, they wouldn't have been in the predicament. He's that influential.

“I think he will be there and get the opportunity because nobody's really going to take the risk on taking somebody who's been out for more than a year and paying wages where he's obviously on a decent contract at Tottenham. So I think he'll get the opportunity at Tottenham to recapture his form and it could be like signing a new player.”

Spurs scrambled over another survival line last season without Kulusevski at their disposal. Roberto De Zerbi - having picked up a managerial baton that had already passed through the hands of Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor - guided Tottenham clear of relegation danger.

Despite back-to-back 17th-placed finishes being endured, optimism remains in the Tottenham camp. They will have a number of long-term injury victims returning to full fitness in 2026-27 - such as Kulusevski, Maddison, Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus.

Quizzed on whether mercurial playmaker Maddison - with seven senior England caps to his name - needs to become the main man for Spurs as their most creative influence, ex-midfielder Murphy added: “I think to a degree. He'll probably feel like he owes them a bit after being out for so long.

“The one thing with Maddison is that he'll always make things happen and he'll always make magic moments in games. He's a wonderful player. He's proven. He's got that strut about him.

“If I was Tottenham, I'd be, especially with the injury to Simons - who was probably brought in to fill that void, I don't think Simons, although he's got some good attributes, has the same qualities as Maddison. I think Maddison's a better player.

“So again, with the predicament of the injury, I don't think he'll be somebody who's going out the door. I think he'll be there. I think Maddison's probably more influential than, in my eyes, Kulusevski because he's one of the few Tottenham players who's brave enough when the crowd are anxious, when nobody else is getting on it, to make things happen and manipulate the ball and play those killer passes. He's the one.

“I think it could be a huge season for him. I love watching him play. I think he's one of those players who is brave and there's not many of them about anymore. We're losing that type of maverick player who just plays in his own way.

“Even in those glimpses we saw at the end of the season, 10-minute cameos, 15-minute cameos, he was making a difference, getting on the ball, calming everyone down. I think he could be a huge player for Tottenham this season.”