Dejan Kulusevski has given encouragement to Tottenham fans by returning to team training this week.
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi will be sweating on Jan Paul van Hecke’s fitness ahead of October 10’s trip to Manchester United.
Van Hecke, a summer signing from Brighton, has withdrawn from the Netherlands squad after suffering an injury against Serbia last week. New Netherlands coach Xavi Hernandez gave a concerning injury update on the 26-year-old, who has been a regular fixture in Roberto De Zerbi’s backline this season.
Elsewhere, Tottenham fans will also be hoping that Dejan Kulusevski can finally return soon. The attacking midfielder has not featured for the Lilywhites since May 2025 as a result of a serious right patella injury that required surgery. Unfortunately, he has suffered setbacks during his long and tough recovery process, sidelining the Swede for more than 500 days.
Club insider expresses Dejan Kulusevski worry after big injury
Kulusevski resumed full first-team training earlier in September, though took a small step back, with De Zerbi revealing a small issue had prevented him from taking part in training with the rest of the squad. Dejan Kulusevski seems to have overcome the minor setback as he was spotted in team training at the Hotspur Way earlier this week.
Spurs podcast Lilywhite Rose owner John Wenham feels the extended international break could be beneficial for Kulusevski. However, he has worries over the playmaker, expressing that he may not return as the same player.
“Dejan Kulusevski, he’s training with the first team now, he’s got two weeks uninterrupted to train with them, so let’s hope that we can get him back, because before his injury, he was our best player by an absolute country mile,” John Wenham exclusively told Tottenham News.
“That’s the absolute worry [that he’s not the same player], because we’ve heard so little about this injury; it’s obviously been kept very quiet what’s actually happened with him, because I know multiple people and many others do, and not much has actually come out about that injury, why it’s taken so long, why it’s been so bad, and what the actual injury is.
“We keep hearing about knees and patellas and all this kind of stuff; no one really knows what it is, we just had Ange say it doesn’t look too bad, and it’s a minor knock. The day it happened, that was against Crystal Palace in May 2025. It’s insane, and he’s not been seen since.
“A sort of on-the-ball collision with Mark Guehi, and then since then he’s never been seen again.”
Kulusevski’s absence has been felt
Kulusevski has not played for Tottenham for almost 20 months, and his absence has been felt, particularly given the injuries to other players in attacking positions. The 26-year-old was the North London club’s best player during the 2024/25 season, thriving in a newfound central role under then-head coach Ange Postecoglou. He enjoyed a productive league campaign, chipping in with seven goals and four assists in 32 appearances.
De Zerbi, the coaching staff and the club’s medical team are understandably being cautious not to rush him back too soon. The Stockholm-born ace has given a lift to the fans with his involvement in full training this week. An exact date for his return is still not known, though reports suggest the encounter against Man United on October 10 is being tipped as a possible first involvement for the playmaker.
