"He is incredibly hungry and has done incredibly well. He is a real machine." Those are Lucas Bergvall's words about Dejan Kulusevski — and coming from a teammate watching him grind through training every day, that carries more weight than any club statement.
Kulusevski has been out since May of last year, more than 500 days sidelined after a complex patella injury to his right knee sustained against Crystal Palace. Multiple complications stretched what might have been a routine recovery into a near-full season absence, costing him all of last term and a place at this summer's FIFA World Cup. That's a brutal stretch of time for any player, let alone a 26-year-old who should be in the peak years of his career.
Back in training, but carefully
He rejoined Roberto De Zerbi's full squad at the end of last month, then briefly stepped away again when his body pushed back against the sudden demands of first-team training. He was back with his teammates last week. Sweden manager Graham Potter left him out of this international window deliberately — not because he isn't progressing, but to protect that progress.
Bergvall, speaking on international duty to Fotbollskanalen, went further than routine optimism: "I absolutely think so. He's making strides every day." If he comes through the next few weeks without a setback, a place in De Zerbi's matchday squad could follow shortly after the international break.
Brighton's Yasin Ayari, a close friend and — as it happens — in a relationship with Kulusevski's sister Sandra, offered perhaps the most revealing assessment of what the last 500 days have actually looked like up close.
"It's mostly mental," Ayari said. "To see how mentally strong he's been during this process. There's always been setbacks, but he always wakes up happy. Not many people can wake up and keep fighting after going through this much."
What this means for Spurs
Tottenham's attacking play under De Zerbi has shown promise in patches, but Kulusevski's dynamism and directness in the final third is a profile they haven't been able to replicate. His availability — or lack of it — has quietly been a factor in how consistent Spurs can be going forward this season. Anyone tracking their odds in tight matches should be watching his return closely.
The timeline remains genuinely uncertain. Ayari put it plainly: "I don't see him every day. Step by step we hope he'll be back. When he's back he'll be 100 percent."
