When Dejan Kulusevski declared that he wouldn’t return from his lengthy injury lay-off as the same player, Tottenham Hotspur supporters might have panicked.
With good reason, too. Since arriving in North London from Juventus back in January 2022, the Swede has been one of the club’s outstanding performers. How he has been sorely missed during Spurs’ worrying slide into the Premier League relegation zone this campaign.
Fortunately, Kulusevski is in bullish spirits and is confident he will be back fitter and stronger than ever. “It’s the driving force I have,” he told Viaplay. “It’s a challenge that I haven’t been able to overcome so far, since I’m not healthy.” This will be music to Roberto De Zerbi‘s ears.
But by the time he does make his comeback, Spurs could be in the Championship. That raises questions over whether he will set out on his mission to get back to his best in N17, or elsewhere. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, he will stay regardless, and that is good news.
Kulusevski’s knee injury and shortage of fitness would certainly make him too big a gamble for clubs this summer, likely meaning De Zerbi can build his project around him.
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When will Dejan Kulusevski return for Tottenham?
Spurs’ new head coach is said to appreciate Kulusevski and will therefore be keen to watch his progression during pre-season training. Before that, he has a job to do: saving the club from relegation. What was once thought an impossibility is now dangerously probable.
It is deeply unfortunate that Kulusevski has not played a part this season. In fact, he has not featured at all since sustaining a knee injury against Crystal Palace last May.
For his problem has been more complicated than first thought. Rather than damaging his ligament, the 25-year-old injured his right patella after colliding with Marc Guehi. He stood up and tried to run, but instead was forced to hobble down the tunnel, clearly in pain.
Three days later, he underwent knee patella cartilage surgery, which was expected to put him back on the road to recovery. Instead, his nightmare only worsened. The setback, far more complex than a conventional knee issue, effectively put a lengthy pause on his career.
Kulusevski looked in good spirits while watching Spurs’ Europa League final triumph against Manchester United in Bilbao, albeit with the aid of crutches. It was cruel that he had been ruled out, having arguably been Antonio Conte and Ange Postecoglou‘s best player.
Understandably, his absence began to affect him. He relishes playing football; much of his life is centred around it. For a while, there looked to be no end to the tunnel.
He went under the knife again for an arthroscopy in March, a minor procedure designed to clean up the knee that has consigned him to the treatment table for almost a year. That was the explanation for why Kulusevski was limping in Sweden’s training camp that same month.
In a significant boon to Spurs, Kulusevski said the surgery had been successful. “Went in and took out what was not suppose[d] to be there,” he wrote on Instagram. “Knee is great now.” That may well be the case, but he isn’t expected to be back to full fitness for quite a while.
Tottenham will hope that he will be in contention for the start of next campaign, and if reports are to be believed, he will stay put this summer even if they are relegated.
Spurs sorely missing Kulusevski
Kulusevski has scored 25 goals and registered 30 assists in his 146 appearances in North London, and was influential last season before his knee woes. According to Sofascore, he netted seven times and notched four assists in an otherwise miserable domestic campaign.
An examination of his overall stint in North London shows an impressive consistency, too.
In his maiden year at Spurs, he scored five goals from just 10 shots on target across 20 appearances, and also chalked up eight assists. In 2022-23, he also boasted eight assists to his name. Then, in 23-24, he netted eight times in all competitions.
It is obvious, then, that Tottenham are a much worse team without him. That is a major problem for De Zerbi, and one which can only be corrected with time. Ironically, that is exactly what Spurs don’t have, with just six games remaining.
His versatility across several positions will undoubtedly make him just as influential under the Italian. Postecoglou was able to get the best out of him as a No 8, having delved back through his career after taking the job.
Kulusevski has never looked like a natural winger. He lacked the turn-and-burn pace of others in the position, but instead, was more wily and intelligent. He is surprisingly strong and aggressive, too, making him perfectly suited to operating centrally.
Clearly, Spurs will be desperate for him to return as soon as possible. But De Zerbi and supporters will have to wait before being able to watch him work his magic again.
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