Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski returns to first-team training after 477 DAYS out with fans told to expect ‘a miracle’

DEJAN KULUSEVSKI has returned to first-team training after more than 15 months on the sidelines. Kulusevski, 26, has been out for 477 days – since May 2025 – following “knee patella cartilage surgery”. Dejan Kulusevski is set to make his Tottenham return after more than 15 months away Credit: PA Kulusevski signalled his return to football with a special cake On Monday evening, the Sweden international announced his comeback with ‘477’ written in candles on a gorgeous cake as he cuddled his daughter in the background. In the caption Kulusevski wrote: “Everything is impossible until is not. Want to see a miracle” Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Also on the Instagram photo carousel, Kulusevski posted a pic of a letter from his family as they celebrated his huge return. Written in Swedish, it read: “They said you might never play again. But they obviously don’t know who you are. “For 477 days you have fought your way through pain, doubt, surgeries, and countless hours of training and rehabilitation. “Today you made it back to where you belong.” Even after the May 2025 surgery, things did not go to plan. The star described how the surgeons “went in and took out what was not (supposed) to be there”, but he added that his knee was “great” after another minor surgery in March this year. Most read in Sport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS The letter continued: “I will tell them about how their dad kept going without any guarantees. “How he kept going when no one was watching, when no one applauded, and when no one could promise him that it would be worth it. “I will tell them about how their dad was told he might never play football again – and yet refused to let anyone else write the end of his story. “And one day, when life tests our daughters, I will tell them about these 477 days. The letter concluded: “So that they never forget what blood runs in their veins. “We are so incredibly proud of you. “Your comeback is more than a return to the pitch – it is a tribute to your willpower, your heart, and the person you are.” Kulusevski – who welcomed his second child this spring – was unable to be a part of Graham Potter‘s Sweden side at the World Cup. The Prem star updated his 1.3m followers with a snap of a heartwarming letter Tottenham signed the winger from Juventus on an 18-month loan deal worth around £8.3million in January 2022. Then, in June 2023, Kulusevski joined Spurs permanently on a five-year-deal, with reports of a reduced fee of £25m. Comment now