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It's more than 10 months since Dejan Kulusevski last played for Tottenham and Sweden manager Graham Potter has provided a new update on the forward's fitness
Sweden manager Graham Potter has provided an update on Dejan Kulusevski's fitness after the Tottenham forward wasn't included in the national team squad for this month's World Cup play-offs.
Kulusevski, 25, hasn't featured for Spurs since a 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace last May. He suffered a knee injury and underwent successful surgery. Ange Postecoglou, who was then in charge of the club, said the ex-Juventus man would be out for "at least a few months".
But in August, it was reported that Kulusevski wouldn't return until the end of 2025, with the 2000-born star saying his "rehab is going well" and predicting his return in the "very, very near future".
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Despite this, Kulusevski is still out and hasn't played for Tottenham this season. Potter admitted last month that it would be "tough" for Kulusevski to return to March's international fixtures - and the former Chelsea and West Ham boss has since confirmed that he won't be involved for Sweden this month.
Speaking in a press conference, after not including Kulusevski in his 26-man squad, Potter said: "Dejan is making progress but not as quickly as we would have liked."
Sweden are set to face Ukraine on Thursday, March 26, in a World Cup play-off semi-final, with the winner facing either Poland or Albania in the final five days later.
Tottenham have struggled in Kulusevski's absence this season. The Swede was impressive for Spurs in 2024/25 and played a huge part in the Europa League-winning run, scoring 10 times and providing 11 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions.
Although Spurs finished fourth in the league phase of the Champions League, they are on the brink of elimination in the Round of 16 and have endured a horror Premier League season so far.
Indeed, Tottenham are embroiled in a relegation dogfight and sit 16th, just one point above 17th-place Nottingham Forest and West Ham in 18th.
Spurs go up against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg on Wednesday, looking to overturn a three-goal deficit following a humbling 5-2 defeat in the first leg.
They then host Forest in a critical Premier League encounter on Sunday - a game that has been described by some as a must-win.
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