Tottenham have released an update on Dejan Kulusevski as he continues his comeback from injury.
Dejan Kulusevski is not yet back training with the Tottenham Hotspur squad as he continues his rehabilitation from a complicated patella injury.
The winger has been on the sidelines for 15 months with the problem, but Spurs have revealed a positive update. The club have shared a video on social media showing him training alongside Mohammed Kudus, who has been out of action since January with a quad injury.
The update shows them both running on the grass as well as taking part with passing and dribbling drills with the ball. They are also shown taking a first touch and then shooting towards full size goals.
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However, the footage is of the Swede doing rehab work as he makes his way back, and he isn't yet close to returning to full training with the rest of the squad. Kulusevski will be phased back in slowly when he is ready.
The club are keen to take their time and not rush the winger back to action and risk another setback in his injury.
Speaking on Kulusevski, Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi is hopeful that he can be back as soon as possible. "Kulusevski fit and right, he's one of the best players we have in the squad," he said.
"I wouldn't like to put too much pressure on him to accelerate the process of rehab, but I hope he can be available as early as possible."
Kulusevski himself has provided some updates on the work he is doing behind the scenes over the summer. He's posted videos on his Instagram page showing him passing the ball and controlling different types of passes as well as jogging to hit the ball.
A second video showed him hitting shots into a full-size goal.
Speaking before the World Cup, Sweden’s national team doctor Jonas Werner gave more of an insight into Kulusevski’s injury. "It's been a long story with Dejan,” he said.
"He's done everything he can to get ready, but when it came to deciding [if he would make the squad] he wasn't. The reason is that he hasn't played football in a year, but even the medical assessments made this spring have pointed in the direction that he wouldn't be ready.
"Cartilage injuries, like in Dejan's case, are troublesome. They are difficult to treat. Plus, he has it in a place that gets a lot of stress. The injury simply hasn't healed enough to handle that stress."