MusaDejan Kulusevski has taken another major step in his long road back to full fitness after returning to first-team training ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s upcoming clash with Aston Villa.
The Sweden international is unlikely to be involved when Spurs face Villa on Saturday afternoon, with the club continuing to manage his workload carefully. However, his return to group training represents another encouraging development following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Kulusevski suffered a serious and complicated knee injury during Tottenham’s defeat to Crystal Palace in May 2025. The 26-year-old midfielder subsequently underwent surgery and has endured further setbacks during his rehabilitation, including a clean-up procedure.
Having spent much of the summer working individually with a coach on the grass at Hotspur Way, Kulusevski has now progressed to training alongside Roberto De Zerbi’s first-team squad.
The midfielder appeared delighted with the latest development and celebrated it on Friday morning by sharing a picture on his Instagram story. The image showed Kulusevski alongside teammate Micky van de Ven during what appeared to be a warm-up exercise.
He accompanied the post with a snippet from Kendrick Lamar’s song War Is My Love, seemingly reflecting the difficult battle he has faced during his recovery.
Despite the positive progress, Tottenham remain cautious over Kulusevski’s return. Having been absent for such an extended period, the club’s coaching and medical staff are expected to carefully manage his workload before considering a competitive comeback.
De Zerbi previously provided an update on the midfielder last month, explaining that Kulusevski was still working separately with an individual coach.
“He’s working, he’s working not with the group, but with the individual coach,” De Zerbi said.
“I’m observing him a lot, because first of all, he suffers too much, and as a human situation, it’s been tough for him, and every one of us we are close with him for this period.
“Then he’s a different player, he’s a special player, if he’s fit and he’s available, he’s a different player like Xavi Simons.”
Kulusevski’s return to first-team training will therefore come as welcome news for Tottenham, although Spurs are unlikely to rush him back into competitive action. After more than a year away from the pitch, the priority will be ensuring the midfielder is fully ready before he makes his long-awaited return.
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