"Kulusevski fit and right, he's one of the best players we have in the squad." Roberto De Zerbi said that, and he's not wrong — the problem is that fit and right feels a long way off yet.
Tottenham have shared footage of the Swedish winger back on the grass, working through jogging, passing drills, dribbling exercises, and striking shots at goal alongside Mohammed Kudus, himself returning from a quad injury sustained in January. It's the most encouraging sign in a recovery that has stretched across 15 months — but nobody at the club is pretending this is nearly over.
A complex injury that's refused to cooperate
Kulusevski's patella problem has been stubbornly resistant to a clean timeline. Sweden's national team doctor Jonas Werner spelled it out before the World Cup: "Cartilage injuries, like in Dejan's case, are troublesome. They are difficult to treat. Plus, he has it in a place that gets a lot of stress. The injury simply hasn't healed enough to handle that stress."
That quote matters. Cartilage doesn't respond to willpower or optimism. Kulusevski has been posting his own rehab clips on Instagram throughout the summer — passing drills, ball control, light running — which tells you he's committed, but also that Spurs have been careful about who controls the narrative around his return.
He is nowhere near rejoining full squad training yet. The club have been explicit about that. The footage with Kudus is rehabilitation work, not a sign he's days away from a matchday squad.
What this means for Spurs' season
De Zerbi has taken a clear position: no pressure, no shortcuts. "I wouldn't like to put too much pressure on him to accelerate the process of rehab," he said, "but I hope he can be available as early as possible." That's a manager who has learned from watching players rushed back into problems.
The practical consequence for Tottenham is significant. A fully functioning Kulusevski changes their attacking picture considerably — he was one of the most consistent performers during Spurs' better stretches in recent seasons. His absence from early fixtures keeps their attacking odds softer than they'd otherwise be, and any fresh setback would likely extend that into winter.
Right now, the most honest assessment came from Werner months ago: the injury simply hasn't healed enough to handle the stress of professional football. Some rehab footage doesn't change that. The grass sessions are progress, not a destination.
