Sweden manager Graham Potter says Tottenham Hotspur‘s Dejan Kulusevski is close to returning to the pitch after a long absence.
The attacking midfielder last featured for the Premier League side in their loss to Crystal Palace in May 2025.
Later that month, the Tottenham man underwent knee surgery, forcing him to miss the Europa League final win over Manchester United.
What happened to Tottenham man since surgery
This meant the Sweden international missed the World Cup in the summer. Sport Witness have a given a timeline of events since he first suffered a setback in May 2025.
- On October 1st, Jon Dahl Tomasson, who was then the national team manager, explained the Spurs attacker is in a “different phase of his rehabilitation.” Later that month, Sweden sacked him and appointed Graham Potter as his successor.
- On November 20th, Potter hinted Dejan Kulusevski could return “around New Year”.
- In December, Potter was confident the player will return for March’s international break, but the optimism disappeared in February. The coach admitted “it will be tough to come back in March.”
Kulusevski met his national teammates during the March international break. That month, he confirmed he’d undergone surgery again and vowed to come back stronger.
At that time, he said: “I don’t want people to worry about me. I’ve never felt better in my life. I feel much stronger now. I hear people wondering if I’ll be the same player when I come back. No, I’ll be much stronger, much better, much smarter and better for my teammates.”
Positive updates about Tottenham player
SVT in Sweden spoke to Graham Potter to talk about Dejan Kulusevski’s potential return.
Earlier this month, the 26-year-old returned to full training at Tottenham Hotspur. The national team boss is delighted with his recovery from a long-term injury.
“He is actually very close. I am so impressed with him, how he has handled his injury,” he said
Sweden have four UEFA Nations League matches in September and October. The manager isn’t ruling out having the former Juventus man for these fixtures.
“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,” Potter explained.
“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 with us.”
Kulusevski is yet to play under Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi for Sweden and Spurs respectively.
His return from the long-term injury is a massive boost for both the club and the national team.
