It has been a year since Tottenham Hotspur star right winger and midfielder Dejan Kulusevski last played in a game, as the knee injury that initially seemed like it would cost him a few weeks and then a few months has become a season ender.
Kulusevski is still no closer to returning to training for either Tottenham or Sweden, and while there was even optimism a couple of months ago that the former Juventus man would be able to help his country out this summer at the 2026 World Cup in the Americas, that hope has quickly dissipated.
it was Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi who first shared pessimism on Kulu's status, plainly stating that he doesn't see how someone who has not played in a year would be able to suit up for the national team at all this summer. It was a sad statement from De Zerbi to make about his own star player, but it was necessary for De Zerbi to be honest for his own credibility and finally nip the false hope in the bud.
Dejan Kulusevski's knee continues to cause major worries
And merely days after De Zerbi made those remarks about Kulu's status, the Swedish national team announced its official preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup. Lo and behold, while young Tottenham star Lucas Bergvall is on the list as one of the center midfielders, as he should be, Dejan Kulusevski is not in the official World Cup squad this summer.
It is news that comes as no surprise to anyone rationally, but for every diehard Tottenham fan, it is the official killing of the hope and another setting in of the reality that nobody really knows when Kulusevski will be back on the pitch. And though he and others around Sweden assure that his career is not threatened, the lack of a concrete diagnosis or update on the extent of his knee, nor the prognosis on when he will finally back, still has every Spurs supporter imagining the worst.
What we know right now is that Kulusevski has been out for a year with a knee injury that is worse than expected, and he is not at all able to play or train on it. Roberto De Zerbi recently hinted at the press conference before the draw with Leeds United that he will try to have Kulu in the squad and hanging out with the team like he did before James Maddison's return from an ACL tear, but, at this point, Kulu's season is confirmed to be over.
Add us as a preferred source on Google