After 19-Month Injury Absence, Kulusevski Returns to Full Training as Tottenham Boss Hails Him as a Major Reinforcement
Tottenham head coach described Dejan Kulusevski's return as a heavyweight signing. The Swedish midfielder, who has been sidelined since the conclusion of the 2024-25 season due to a right knee patella injury, has had his career interrupted for 19 months and also missed the FIFA World Cup this summer. This week, he finally returned to full training, marking a positive development.
In fact, Kulusevski had attempted to return to competition in August, but encountered some setbacks along the way. The now 26-year-old has rejoined training sessions. While he will not be available for Saturday's match against Aston Villa, he is expected to make his competitive return in October or November. The manager said: "We need to work with the medical and fitness teams to manage Deji in the best possible way, but this is good news for us. He's an excellent player and a great person who deserves to play again. We need to take it step by step, and the international break will also be important for him. When he gets back to full fitness and is completely injury-free, it will be like a fantastic signing — for us, it's like a new player."
Throughout the injury-plagued 2024-25 season, Kulusevski was one of Tottenham's standout performers, before missing the entire following campaign due to his prolonged knee injury. James Maddison has had a similar journey: he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury last August and made an early return in May of this year, helping the club secure Premier League survival. Maddison's pre-season preparation has also been affected, as he encountered shoulder issues during the opening day away match at Brentford. However, his substitute appearance in the 1-3 League Cup defeat at Liverpool sent a positive signal, and the 29-year-old is expected to get more playing time against Villa.
The manager also said: "James has been training with the squad for the past 10 to 15 days. He's a technical player, but he still needs to build his fitness and get back to match sharpness. When he's at his best, his personality, characteristics, abilities and experience are extremely important to us. His quality of passing is something special."
Pedro Porro and Sandro Tonali did not feature in Tuesday's loss to Liverpool, but should be fit for Saturday's midday kick-off. Tottenham have yet to win or score in their first four Premier League matches, while Villa sit lower down the table with just 1 point, in 19th place. The manager said: "You have to stay calm and have confidence in what you and your players are doing. They are more than deserving of my trust."