Dejan Kulusevski of Tottenham has been sidelined for over a year now.
Dejan Kulusevski has shared a clip of himself on Instagram training on grass, the most encouraging update Tottenham supporters have received in what has been a grueling 13 months on the sidelines. The Swede posted the clip to his Instagram on Saturday, and the sight of him moving freely through cones is a genuine boost ahead of Roberto De Zerbi’s first season in charge.
The 25-year-old has not played since May 2025, when he was forced off after 19 minutes of a defeat to Crystal Palace. A patella injury followed, requiring surgery, and what Ange Postecoglou initially played down as a minor issue eventually snowballed into multiple procedures and a prolonged absence that saw Tottenham navigate a near-relegation battle without one of their most influential attackers.
What the doctors said and what the Dejan Kulusevski footage means
Sweden’s national team doctor Jonas Werner put the complexity of the situation in plain terms recently. Cartilage, he explained, has no blood supply and no nerves and does not heal in the usual way. With the kneecap sliding back and forth over the femur and generating enormous compressive force, Werner confirmed the injury simply had not healed enough for Kulusevski to cope with that kind of strain yet. It was part of why Graham Potter left him out of the World Cup squad entirely.
A week later, footage of Kulusevski playing basketball emerged and suggested his conditioning was building steadily. Saturday’s grass session takes it a step further. For De Zerbi, a fit Kulusevski is arguably the most valuable free addition available this summer. The player who scored 25 goals and registered 30 assists across 146 appearances for the club is not far away now.