Dejan Kulusevski is edging closer to a return to competitive football after spending 513 days on the sidelines with a complicated knee injury that threatened to bring his playing career to an abrupt halt.
The Tottenham midfielder returned to full training on September 1, 477 days after suffering the initial injury against Crystal Palace. Since then, he has continued progressing through the final stages of his rehabilitation and is now approaching contention for a place in Tottenham’s matchday squad.
Tottenham have remained cautious throughout his recovery, particularly after earlier attempts to increase his workload resulted in renewed discomfort.
Family Revealed the Severity of His Battle
The full extent of the uncertainty surrounding Kulusevski’s recovery became clearer when his wife, Eldina, a former Bosnia international footballer, published an emotional message celebrating his return to full training.
She revealed that medical professionals had warned her husband that he might never play football again.
Eldina described the surgeries, pain, setbacks and extensive rehabilitation that had marked his recovery, saying his determination would eventually become a story she would tell their two daughters.
Her message came as Kulusevski reached a major milestone after months of uncertainty over whether he would be able to return to professional football.
A Gruelling Rehabilitation Continues
Kulusevski’s rehabilitation has not been entirely straightforward.
After returning to full training, his body had to readjust to the demands of contact football. He subsequently experienced what was described as a relatively minor setback, reinforcing the caution surrounding his return.
During the recent international break, the 26-year-old remained involved in Tottenham’s first-team programme. After taking the opening week off alongside senior players who were not away on international duty, he stepped up his workload.
At the end of the second week, Kulusevski took part in an internal 11-a-side match at Tottenham’s training centre against a side made up of Under-18 and Under-21 players.
Tottenham Could Soon Have a Major Boost
Kulusevski’s return comes at a difficult time for Tottenham.
The club has struggled near the bottom of the Premier League table, making the availability of one of its most creative players potentially significant.
There is also a precedent for Tottenham involving returning players in matchday squads before they are ready to play. Last season, James Maddison was included after a serious knee injury despite not being expected to feature, partly to provide a lift for his teammates and supporters.
Kulusevski could potentially serve a similar purpose as he approaches his own return, although Tottenham are expected to continue managing his workload carefully.
Injury Initially Appeared Less Serious
The injury that began the lengthy absence occurred during Tottenham’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace in May 2025.
At the time, the problem did not initially appear catastrophic. Former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou described it after the match as “just a knock.”
Further examinations, however, revealed more significant damage around Kulusevski’s knee.
He underwent surgery and later attended Tottenham’s 2025 Europa League final against Manchester United on crutches, wearing a substantial brace on his right leg.
Further Problems Delayed His Comeback
Initial expectations suggested that Kulusevski could return by December 2025, but his rehabilitation encountered further difficulties.
When he increased his football training, he experienced pain in the affected knee. Tottenham subsequently tried a course of injections in January in an effort to settle the problem without another major operation.
Kulusevski eventually underwent what he described as a “small intervention” in March to clean out the joint.
Those complications extended his recovery considerably and contributed to him missing the World Cup. He has also not represented Sweden since November 2024 and remains on 45 international caps.
Cartilage Complications Added to the Challenge
Sweden team doctor Jonas Werner previously offered an insight into why the injury proved so difficult to overcome.
Werner explained that cartilage injuries can be particularly troublesome because of the stress placed on the affected area. In Kulusevski’s case, he indicated that the location of the injury meant the knee had not initially healed sufficiently to withstand that pressure.
The comments provided one of the few indications of the nature of the complications surrounding the injury, with cartilage damage around the kneecap understood to have played a role.
Such problems can occur alongside a patella dislocation, which may initially appear less serious if the kneecap returns to position but can still damage cartilage and other structures within the joint.
Tottenham have generally avoided providing detailed public updates beyond confirming the basic nature of Kulusevski’s knee injury.
A Career Marked by Earlier Setbacks
Kulusevski’s ability to persevere through difficult periods has been evident earlier in his career.
He left Stockholm club Brommapojkarna for Atalanta at 16 and faced major challenges adapting to life in Italy. He was dealing with language and cultural difficulties and also experienced a registration issue that kept him away from football for an extended period.
In a 2024 Players’ Tribune interview, Kulusevski recalled living in a small room while attending school and struggling to understand what was being taught.
His mother encouraged him to return to Sweden, but Kulusevski said he was determined to remain in Italy rather than abandon the opportunity.
That persistence eventually helped lead to a successful loan spell at Parma, a transfer to Juventus and, ultimately, his move to Tottenham in January 2022.
His Tottenham Career Was Interrupted at Its Peak
Kulusevski became an important player under Postecoglou and produced some of his strongest performances during the early stages of the 2024-25 campaign.
One of his standout displays came during Tottenham’s 4-0 victory over Manchester City.
His prolonged absence has since coincided with major changes at the club. Tottenham have gone through four managers, three captains and two chairmen while different players have been used in positions where Kulusevski previously provided creativity.
He has not played under Thomas Frank or Igor Tudor and is still waiting to make his first appearance for current manager Roberto De Zerbi.
Family Life Changed During His Absence
Kulusevski’s personal life has also undergone significant changes during his rehabilitation.
He married Eldina last summer and the couple welcomed their second daughter this year.
Despite those changes, his family has described him as remaining intensely focused on completing his recovery.
Yasin Ayari, the Brighton and Sweden midfielder who is engaged to Kulusevski’s sister Sandra, recently praised the midfielder’s mentality.
Ayari said it was unusual to see someone continue working with such determination after enduring so many setbacks and described Kulusevski as mentally strong.
World Cup and Sweden Return Remain Part of the Bigger Picture
The injury cost Kulusevski the chance to participate in last summer’s World Cup and has kept him away from the Sweden team for almost two years.
His eventual return to Tottenham could therefore represent more than simply another club appearance.
For now, however, the focus remains on completing the rehabilitation process rather than setting a firm date for his competitive comeback.
Tottenham’s caution reflects the complicated history of the injury, particularly the setbacks that followed earlier attempts to increase his workload.
The Final Step Is Now Within Reach
Kulusevski has already made significant progress since undergoing his latest procedure in March.
He missed Tottenham’s summer tour of New Zealand and Australia, but continued his rehabilitation behind the scenes. Training footage released by the club in August showed him running with the ball and shooting alongside Mohamed Kudus, although Tottenham warned against interpreting the footage as confirmation of an imminent return.
The midfielder still needed to rebuild his fitness, regain match sharpness and allow his body to readjust to the demands of competitive football.
After 513 days away, the exact timing of his comeback remains uncertain. But with full training and an internal match now behind him, Kulusevski is closer than he has been at any point since his injury to returning to the pitch.
