LONDON — Dejan Kulusevski has revealed how a “change to my nervous system” enabled him to return with Tottenham Hotspur after a 17-month injury layoff left him fearing the end of his football career.
The Swedish midfielder was introduced to a rapturous reception in the 87th minute of the club’s 3-1 home victory against Coventry last week and followed that up with another substitute appearance in Saturday’s win at Chelsea as Spurs continued their improvement after a poor start to the Premier League season.
Kulusevski had multiple setbacks after knee surgery in May 2025. But a second procedure in March finally set him on the road to recovery.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s match against Crystal Palace, the 26-year-old Kulusveski told SpursPlay: “It had been like one year and a couple of months and I still can’t walk on the stairs. I can’t walk on the stairs like a normal guy. I have to play football so in my head I’m not going to give up, but I have to think that if this doesn’t work out, what do I do?
“I went to a physio in Sweden. He was able to change my nervous system and then it felt different. When I did the exercises, I said, ‘I don’t have pain, like this hurt yesterday. Why is this not hurting today?’
“Then I did the next exercise and said, ‘this is not hurting,’ and I went into the room to my wife. And I told her, ‘it’s over, we’re going to do this’. From the minute I went into the room, it was better,” he added according to AFP.
He added: “There was still pain but it was different. Now I had control of my leg and then that is when the grind started that summer. I started to play football and it got better every day. I was limping and everything, but it was different now.
“I got much stronger in a short time and I went from ‘this guy will not play football anymore’ to playing really good football in just a couple of weeks.”
The former Juventus winger also paid tribute to Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi, saying: “I know from before because he is a very special manager so when he came here, it feels also like it is special.”
