How returning Tottenham star can kickstart Roberto De Zerbi revolution

Kulusevski has been on the sidelines for more than 500 days with a complicated patella injury that has required two separate surgeries and a remarkable amount of resilience.

It is unclear whether the playmaker is ready to get back on the pitch, but he will be part of the travelling squad as Spurs chase their first league win of the season.

De Zerbi appears to be keen to utilise the “inspirational” forward in a support role similar to the one James Maddison took up towards the end of last term.

Spurs are in need of inspiration, winless and rock bottom of the Premier League table after five games, and De Zerbi wants to hold Kulusevski up as an example to the rest of his players.

Long time out: Dejan Kulusevski

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“Yes, he’s an inspiration,” De Zerbi said on Friday.

“He reacted very well, with character, with courage, with passion.

“We have to take inspiration from Deki. I said the same in the meeting to the players.”

Kulusevski played in an internal 11-a-side friendly at the club’s training ground over the international break and has returned to training after a minor setback.

Spurs are continuing to be cautious, but the end now at least appears to be in sight. The reception he will receive when he finally gets back on the pitch will temporarily lift the gloom around the club, even if a change in results remains the pressing priority.

“I think he is an example for everyone,” De Zerbi continued.

“Forget the player, but the example of how he reacted to the injury, the reaction to being unlucky, the character he showed this time, was an example, a reference for everyone.”

While De Zerbi may want to promote Kulusevski as a role model, his team-mate and competition for minutes, Maddison, is proof that a return to full fitness after a lengthy period on the sidelines is not linear.

Setbacks have frustrated the England international’s rehabilitation from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and nearly six months after first taking to the pitch again, he has yet to put a sustained run of games together.

Stuttering return: James Maddison

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While fit and available for selection against United, Maddison was unable to enjoy a pain-free international break, and De Zerbi says that until he can train consistently for several weeks, he remains reluctant to throw the 29-year-old headfirst into top-flight action.

“Tomorrow he can play, but the Premier League is tough,” the Italian admitted.

“Physically, it is a very strong competition, and you have to be in the right physical condition to compete, to run, to fight.

“He is a No10, a different player, but I think he is working well, and this is the way.

“The way is to complete three, four, five weeks in a row without problems, without feeling pain, without feeling problems. He is a normal player, he has nothing special, bad.”

Maddison and Kulusevski’s struggles perfectly summarise the predicament Spurs find themselves in.

Lacking creativity and unable to get a handle on an ever-increasing injury list, the north Londoners will hope that with Maddison and Kulusevski back in the fold, an end to their issues on and off the pitch will follow.