Good news! Dejan Kulusevski is back after being out for 477 days, with certain games picked as his comeback goals.
Good news for Spurs and Sweden fans—Dejan Kulusevski is finally getting close to playing again after a tough 16-month injury battle, according to his Sweden coach, Graham Potter.
The Swedish star hasn’t played since May 2025 because of a knee injury that kept him out for the entire last season. He started training with Spurs again in early September, and Potter is hopeful he can call up the 26-year-old to join the Sweden squad for the upcoming international break.
Sweden will have four Nations League games during a longer-than-usual break from September 21 to October 6. They’ll play Romania at home on September 25, then Poland at home on September 28, followed by away games against Bosnia and Herzegovina on October 2 and Poland on October 6.
Even though Kulusevski isn’t yet set to play for Spurs under Roberto De Zerbi, Potter said he’s “very close” to returning and wants to work with Spurs’ medical team to get him involved in those matches if he’s ready.
“He’s very close. I’m really impressed with how he’s handled his injury,” Potter told Swedish TV. “Of course, we have to be careful. I hope he joins us, but we need to talk with Dejan and Tottenham first. Having Kulusevski back is huge for our team. We all love him—his spirit and skill. He’s a top player, and having him around makes a big difference.”
Kulusevski had surgery on his right knee at the end of the 2024/25 season. At first, it looked like he’d be out just a few months, but things didn’t go as planned. He had more surgery in March and wasn’t ready in time for the World Cup.
In May, Sweden’s team doctor explained why his injury took so long to heal. Cartilage injuries like his are tricky and tough to fix, especially because his knee is under a lot of pressure.
After Spurs’ 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, De Zerbi said Kulusevski had a “small, small problem” when getting back to training but is still making good progress toward fully recovering.
So fingers crossed, Kulusevski could be back on the pitch soon, helping both club and country!