Dejan Kulusevski return update given after 477 days out with specific games set as target
Dejan Kulusevski is finally nearing a return to action after a injury nightmare totalling 16 months, his international manager Graham Potter has confirmed.
The Sweden international has not played since May 2025 after suffering a knee injury, which ultimately caused him to miss the entirety of last season.
He returned to first-team training with Spurs at the beginning of September, and Potter has stated that he is hopeful of being able to call the 26-year-old up to the Sweden squad for the upcoming international break.
When Dejan Kulusevski could return to football revealed
Sweden will contest four Nations League matches as part of an unusually elongated international break, which runs between September 21 and October 6.
They face Romania at home on September 25, before hosting Poland on September 28.
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Two away fixtures then follow against Bosnia and Herzegovina (October 2) and Poland (October 6).
Given he is not yet under consideration for a Spurs comeback under Roberto De Zerbi, Potter says Kulusevski is 'very close' to a return - and wants to reach an agreement with Spurs' medical staff for him to feature in the above fixtures if he is passed fit to do so.
"He's very close. I'm so impressed with him, how he's handled his injury," Potter told Swedish outlet SVT. "Of course, we have to be careful with him.
"I hope he comes with us, but we have to talk to Dejan and Tottenham first.
"The importance of getting Dejan Kulusevski into the national team cannot be emphasised enough. He is incredibly important to the team. We love him, his character and qualities. He is a world-class player and it helps enormously to have him around."
Dejan Kulusevski's complex knee injury explained
Kulusevski underwent surgery on his a right patella injury at the end of the 2024/25 season, with it initially being expected that he would be out for several months.
His absence continued as last season wore on, however, with the lack of updates on his condition leaving Spurs fans concerned.
The 26-year-old had further surgery in March, but did not return to fitness in time to play a part in this summer's World Cup.
In May, following the nation's World Cup squad announcement, Sweden's team doctor Jonas Werner explained the complexity of Kulusevski's injury and exactly why it had taken him so long to recover.
"He hasn't played football in a year, but even the medical assessments made this spring have pointed in the direction that he wouldn't be ready [for the World Cup]," Werner said, as per Fotbollskanalen.
"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."
Following Spurs' 0-0 draw away to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, manager De Zerbi said Kulusevski had suffered a 'small, small problem' on his return to training but was still making positive strides in the final stages of his recovery.
Topics: Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League
Ryan Smart