Spurs fans share quick thoughts on Dejan Kulusevski after his first game in 526 days
Tottenham Hotspur fans are buzzing after Dejan Kulusevski finally came back from a 526-day injury during their 3-1 win over Coventry City.
After a rollercoaster time with four different head coaches and 20 new players, star forward Kulusevski made his much-awaited return on Monday night.
The match’s first half saw James Maddison score on his first start since May 2025. Then, Kulusevski came off the bench late in the second half to make his first appearance in over a year and a half — and fans loved it.
Back in May 2025, Kulusevski hurt his knee against Crystal Palace and missed the Europa League final win over Manchester United, which he had to watch on crutches from the sidelines.
He was sadly out for the entire 2026/27 season, and many supporters believe his absence played a part in the team’s tough year when they barely avoided relegation on the last day.
But on Monday night, Kulusevski’s tough time finally ended, and fans were thrilled to see him back on the pitch.
One fan said, “I just gave Dejan Kulusevski a standing ovation in my living room.”
Another shared, “Kulusevski coming on is the happiest I’ve been watching Spurs since the Europa League final.”
And one added, “Kulusevski was the missing piece for Spurs, and now he’s back.”
An excited supporter wrote, “Kulusevski running down the wing, Maddison and Ben Davies scoring — we’ve got our Tottenham back!”
To show how long it’s been since Kulusevski last played for Spurs: back then, Paris Saint-Germain hadn’t won the Champions League, Son Heung-min was still the Spurs captain, and Ange Postecoglou was the manager. Since then, Spurs have only won four Premier League home games, including Monday’s win.
Kulusevski’s comeback comes at the perfect time, as Spurs face London rivals Chelsea next Saturday. He looked sharp in his 11 minutes against Coventry, so we might see him starting soon.
It’s not just Kulusevski’s return that has fans hopeful — Maddison also started his first game since May 2025 after his own long injury battle. And he quickly showed why Spurs spent £40 million to sign him in June 2023, scoring a beautiful goal from outside the box to kick off their first win of the season.
After the match, Maddison told Sky Sports, “I hoped I could make this kind of impact. I talked to the gaffer this week and felt it was the right moment to get back in the starting XI after a stop-start start to the season.”
“I just wanted to play well and show what the team has missed since my last start 18 months ago.”
“The gaffer wanted to enjoy watching me from the side, so I hope I did that.”
“A goal like that is always nice. During those dark days recovering from the ACL, you dream of moments like this. That’s the light at the end of the tunnel.”
“I felt really emotional and proud of Dejan Kulusevski today because I knew exactly how he felt stepping back out onto the pitch after such a long time.”
“Those moments and goals make it all worth it.”
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