The key facts

  • Kulusevski returned after 17 months out, coming on as a substitute in the 3:1 win over Coventry and then in the match against Chelsea
  • After knee surgery in May 2025 there were multiple complications; a second operation in March started the recovery
  • The player links the turning point to work with a physiotherapist in Sweden who, he says, 'changed his nervous system'

A return after 17 months

Tottenham midfielder Dejan Kulusevski has said that he managed to return to the pitch after 17 months out through injury, and that during this period he seriously considered the possibility that his football career might be over. He spoke about this in an interview with the club channel SpursPlay, as reported by AFP.

A long recovery and a turning point

The 25-year-old... or rather, 26-year-old Swede underwent knee surgery in May 2025, which was followed by multiple complications. A second operation in March, he said, finally set the recovery in motion, but even after 'a year and a couple of months' he could not climb stairs like an ordinary person.

'A change in the nervous system'

The player names a visit to a physiotherapist in Sweden as the turning point. 'He was able to change my nervous system, and then everything felt different. I was doing exercises and saying: I have no pain, this hurt yesterday — why doesn't it hurt today?' AFP quotes him as saying. According to Kulusevski, the pain did not disappear completely, but he 'got control over his leg', after which systematic work began: he relearned how to run, limping but improving day by day, and within a couple of weeks went from thinking 'this guy will never play football again' to playing well.

First matches after the return

Kulusevski came on as a substitute in the 87th minute of Tottenham's home win over Coventry, 3:1, last week and was greeted with applause, and then came on as a substitute again in the away win against Chelsea on Saturday. Tottenham are meanwhile improving their results after a poor start to the Premier League season. Speaking about head coach Roberto De Zerbi, the player noted: 'I have known him for a while, he is a very special coach, and when he arrived here, everything feels special too.' The team's next match will be on Saturday against Crystal Palace.