Tottenham injury news: Spurs playmaker suffers 'fresh' injury blow ahead of Nottingham Forest clash

Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed that Tottenham Hotspur attacker Dejan Kulusevski has suffered a fresh injury setback.

Kulusevski returned to training for Spurs after more than a year since he last played for the club during their 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in May 2025.

The 26-year-old had undergone two surgeries and, after 450 days on the sidelines, the Sweden international returned to full training earlier this week.

The playmaker was included in Tottenham's squad for the upcoming Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest, but he has now picked up a fresh injury.

Tottenham injury news: Spurs dealt Dejan Kulusevski blow

© Iconsport / BILDBYRÅN

Ahead of the match, De Zerbi confirmed that Kulusevski has suffered a minor setback in his recovery from a complicated kneecap injury.

The Spurs boss said that the Sweden international has suffered a minor setback that has prevented him from taking part in training with the rest of the squad in recent days.

"Kulusevski started [training] with us at the beginning of the week, and then the last two days, a small, small problem, stopped [him from training]," De Zerbi said.

"But I think he’s in a good way. It’s going very well. I already said the medical staff is very high level."

Tottenham must be cautious with injured players

© Imago

Spurs had terrible luck with injuries last season, and De Zerbi must be cautious about reintegrating players returning from injury into the side.

Along with Kulusevski, the likes of Destiny Udogie and Dominic Solanke have returned to training, and Spurs will hope they can now remain fit for the rest of the season.

James Maddison also missed the majority of last season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Despite being eased back into action towards the end of last season, the England midfielder endured a disrupted pre-season before suffering a shoulder fracture on the opening weekend of the season against Brentford.

Spurs lost both of their Premier League games against Brentford and Newcastle United and will be looking to avoid a third defeat in a row when they travel to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest.