Dejan Kulusevski has offered Tottenham the most encouraging sign yet that his injury nightmare is nearing an end, sharing footage of himself playing a game of two-on-two basketball and moving freely on the court.
The clip, posted to his Instagram Stories, shows the Sweden international picking up the ball inside the three-point line, driving to the basket and passing to a team-mate who scores from close range. It is the most vigorous activity he has undertaken in public since his last appearance for the club 391 days ago. A separate post shows a Tottenham-branded football placed next to a pitch, reinforcing the sense that the 26-year-old is now firmly focused on a return to competitive action.
Kulusevski has been sidelined since suffering a patella injury in February 2025 — a setback that, according to further details, occurred following a challenge from Marc Guehi. The injury has required multiple surgeries and forced him to miss the entirety of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.
The long road back: understanding the patella injury
The patella injury has proved particularly stubborn because of the nature of the joint involved. Sweden’s national team doctor, Jonas Werner, explained that cartilage in the knee has no blood supply or nerves, making natural healing an extremely difficult process. That complexity explains why Kulusevski’s recovery has stretched well beyond a year, and why even after multiple procedures he was unable to regain fitness in time for the World Cup.
Kulusevski had declared himself available for Sweden’s squad, but head coach Graham Potter ultimately left him out. Werner acknowledged that Kulusevski had done “everything he can to get ready” but was simply not fit enough for selection. The Swedish medical team’s assessment underscored the scale of the challenge: patella injuries often require long, careful rehabilitation before a player can resume high-impact activity such as football.
Throughout his recovery, Kulusevski has regularly posted updates on his Instagram page, sharing clips of rehabilitation work in the gym and on the pitch. The basketball footage, however, marks a clear step up in intensity. It suggests he is now able to perform explosive lateral movements and weight-bearing exercises without discomfort, though his readiness for full training will not be confirmed until he reports for pre-season.
De Zerbi’s assessment and Tottenham’s hopes
Roberto De Zerbi, who took over as Tottenham manager during the club’s turbulent 2025/26 season, spoke highly of Kulusevski during a press conference in May while casting doubt on his World Cup prospects. “For me, it’s difficult to understand how he can play at the World Cup if he didn’t play any games this season,” De Zerbi said at the time.
But the Italian revealed that Kulusevski had been in contact after a match against Aston Villa, telling the coach he would return to Hotspur Way the following week to continue his rehabilitation. De Zerbi added: “I hope he can be available to stay with us in the last game because he is an amazing player.”
Kulusevski’s absence was one of several blows that contributed to a desperately difficult campaign for Tottenham. The club narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of the Premier League season, finishing 17th, and went through three different managers — Thomas Frank, Igor Tudor and finally De Zerbi — after Ange Postecoglou was sacked despite winning the Europa League the previous season. Other key players, including James Maddison (ruptured ACL), were also sidelined for long periods, and the team endured a 15-match winless league run and six consecutive defeats across all competitions for the first time in the club’s history.
De Zerbi succeeded in steadying the ship and is now targeting big improvements in the upcoming campaign. The club has already completed the signing of Andy Robertson on a free transfer from Liverpool, and is reportedly in talks over Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke, while negotiations are ongoing to make Joao Palhinha’s loan from Bayern Munich permanent. Pre-season preparations include a tour to Sydney and Auckland, with matches against Sydney FC, Chelsea and Auckland FC in late July and early August.
Tottenham’s young midfielder Lucas Bergvall has been named in Sweden’s 26-man World Cup squad, which also features Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres. Sweden have been drawn in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia. Kulusevski has thrown his support behind the national team, writing in an earlier Instagram post: “Go boys, make it happen, make us proud.”
His own focus, however, is now entirely on regaining full fitness for the Premier League season that begins in August — and the basketball clip suggests he may finally be closing in on that goal.
