Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski has returned to training ground work with a ball after more than a year out with a serious knee injury. Footage released by the club on Wednesday showed the 26-year-old Swede working individually as he continues his recovery.
Fellow winger Mohammed Kudus was also pictured in the training ground footage. Kudus has not played since suffering a thigh injury in January.
Kulusevski is not yet training with the first team and remains some way from returning to match action. Tottenham plan to phase him back with care following his long absence, and manager Roberto De Zerbi wants to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on him by setting comeback targets.
Injury history and recovery timeline
Four hundred and fifty days have passed since Kulusevski suffered his injury against Crystal Palace, less than a month before Spurs won the Europa League. The Swede underwent surgery and attended the Europa League final in May 2025 wearing a heavy-duty leg brace, and he did not kick a ball last season.
Initial hopes that he might return in December were dashed when pain persisted in the knee during training. A course of injections failed to clear the problem, leading to a second minor operation in March to tidy up debris in the joint. The setback forced him to miss the World Cup and Tottenham's preseason tour to New Zealand and Australia.
Speaking on tour, De Zerbi said: "Kulusevski, fit and right, is one of the best players we have in the squad. I wouldn’t like to put too much pressure on him to accelerate the process of rehab but I hope he can be available as early as possible."
While there is still some way to go, evidence of his return to training provides a boost for Tottenham as they prepare for the new season.
