Dejan Kulusevski reassures fans over latest worrying injury report

Instead of ruminating over playing Championship football next season, Tottenham supporters have spent the start of a much-needed international break worrying over the state of Dejan Kulusevski's knee.

Admittedly, the Swede's lengthy recovery from a patella injury is a concern, with plenty fearful that the once swashbuckling playmaker may never be the same again.

Kulusevski has been out of action since last May, suffering a litany of setbacks that remarkably mean we still don't know when he'll be back playing again. Potential return dates have been pushed back relentlessly, with former manager Thomas Frank describing the injury as "complicated" at the start of the year.

Then, though, Frank was hopeful we'd start seeing progress within three to four weeks. More than three months on, there's merely been more doom and gloom over Kulusevski's injury outlook.

Kulusevski plays down reports of limp on international duty

Spurs fans were sent into a tailspin when a Swedish report wrote that Kulusevski was spotted limping on his visit to the national team's training camp in Valencia ahead of the UEFA World Cup playoffs.

The nature of his injury has facilitated speculation over his long-term prospects, with some comparing Kulusevski's setback to the career-altering knee injuries sustained by Brazilian great Ronaldo.

Fortunately, the Swede's knee hasn't "exploded" as Ronaldo's was said to have done just six minutes into his comeback appearance from a separate knee issue while playing for Inter against Lazio in 2000.

The aforementioned Swedish report wasn't fiction; Kulusevski isn't moving particularly well in a video posted by the national team's official X account. Still, the 25-year-old sought to allay fears of another drastic setback via Instagram.

"Just to clarify things. I'm limping because I had a small intervention in the knee 2 weeks ago. Went in and took out what was not suppose to be there. Knee is great now. Thanks for the support," he captioned a story.

Kulusevski then posted a picture of said "intervention".

We can only hope the player is staying positive. After picking up what was at the time described as no more than a "knock" by Ange Postecoglou, there's absolutely no way Kulusevski would've thought that almost a year down the line, he still wouldn't be close to kicking a ball again (and Tottenham would be in the midst of a frightening relegation battle).

He's not going to play at all this season, but if Sweden make it through the playoffs, there's no doubt that he'll be desperate to feature at the World Cup for the very first time.