Kulusevski's Race Against Time for World Cup Selection
Dejan Kulusevski is fighting the clock and his own body.
Out since May 2025 with a stubborn patella injury, the Tottenham winger has endured a year of rehab, setbacks and, most recently, a minor follow‑up procedure. The target is clear: get fit in time to force his way into Graham Potter’s Sweden squad for this summer’s World Cup in North America.
Right now, that looks like a race run on faith as much as fitness.
De Zerbi’s cold realism, Kulusevski’s burning belief
Roberto De Zerbi did not dress it up when asked about Kulusevski’s chances.
“I don’t know the situation well. For me, it’s difficult to understand how he can play at the World Cup if he didn’t play any games this season,” the Tottenham head coach admitted.
The logic is brutal. A player who has not kicked a competitive ball all year is trying to step into the intensity of a World Cup.
Yet even De Zerbi can’t quite close the door. He revealed he had messaged Kulusevski after the win over Aston Villa, and the reply offered a sliver of hope.
“He told me in the next week, I think, he comes back [to continue his rehab at Hotspur Way]. And I hope he can be available to stay with us in the last game because he is an amazing player.”
That last line is the crux. Tottenham know what they are missing. Sweden do too.
Kulusevski, for his part, refuses to let realism smother ambition. Sweden missed out on the 2022 World Cup; the former Juventus man is desperate to drag his country back to the game’s biggest stage and lead from the front.
“I haven't played in a year. I know what the chances are,” he told Viaplay previously. “But if there is one person on the planet who can do this, I would bet on myself.
“And we are not just going there to participate. Sweden will aim to be one of the best. As long as I live, I will do everything I can so that Sweden, when we go out and play, will not be afraid of anyone. Brazil, France, whoever they are. That's why I'm on this planet. To give faith and love to my people.”
It is not the language of someone content to watch the tournament from his sofa.
Richarlison scare eased after Villa heroics
While Kulusevski works alone on long, lonely rehab days, another forward briefly joined the worry list this week.
Richarlison, fresh from a tireless display and a crucial first‑half goal in the 2-1 win over Aston Villa, was absent from training on Wednesday. He had been substituted late on at Villa Park, and the sight of him coming off sparked familiar fears around a player who has battled repeated fitness issues.
This time, the alarm did not last long.
De Zerbi moved quickly to calm the situation, explaining that the Brazilian’s absence was down to fatigue and workload management, not a fresh injury.
“Yes [he missed training] because he worked very hard [against Villa],” the Italian said. “I think my mistake was not to substitute him before the end of the game. But Richarlison was playing very well, he was important in the set-pieces and he played a great game. But just fatigue.”
For a club that has lived on the edge of an injury crisis for much of a turbulent campaign, “just fatigue” is about as good as news gets.
Spurs out of danger – but not out of the woods
That win at Villa did more than soothe nerves around Richarlison. It dragged Tottenham out of the Premier League relegation zone and gave De Zerbi’s side a measure of breathing space at the sharp end of the season.
The mood around Hotspur Way has shifted slightly. Survival, once a growing concern, now feels more manageable. The margin for error, though, remains thin.
Inside the club, the medical and performance staff have become central figures. Their task is to nurse a tired squad through the final stretch, squeeze minutes out of aching legs and, if possible, hand De Zerbi a fuller bench for the run‑in.
Kulusevski’s possible late cameo, even if only for the final league game, would offer a symbolic lift as much as a tactical one. A reminder of the player he was, and the one he still believes he can be in time for Sweden’s World Cup adventure.
Before any of that, Spurs must finish the job at home. Leeds await on Monday night, a fixture heavy with jeopardy for both sides. After that, it is Chelsea and Everton to close a season that has lurched between anxiety and defiance.
Relegation fears, World Cup dreams, and a squad held together by tape and belief: Tottenham’s final weeks will test every claim they make about resilience.
