Kulusevski: 'Knee's Mended, World Cup's Calling – Spurs, You're Next!'

Picture this: you're a top-flight winger, nursing a dodgy knee for nearly a year, and you rock up to your national team camp with a limp that sets Twitter alight. That's Dejan Kulusevski for you – turning a routine check-up into front-page panic. But fear not, lads; the Swede's put those rumours to bed with a cheeky Instagram post and some bullish chat to Viaplay.

The Bumpy Road from Knock to Nightmare

It all kicked off last May when Kulusevski copped what then-Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou breezily called 'just a knock' on his right kneecap. Yeah, right. What followed was a proper saga – setbacks galore, sidelined for the thick end of a year. The Spurs midfielder's been grafting through rehab, but that limp spotted at Sweden's camp this week had fans clutching pearls.

Turns out, it was down to a 'small intervention' two weeks back. Kulusevski himself clarified: docs nipped in, yanked out the offending bit, and bob's your uncle – knee's purring again. 'Went in and took out what was not supposed to be there,' he posted. Classic case of better out than in, eh?

As reported by the Evening Standard via OneFootball, this latest op has flipped the script. No more dark clouds; the lad's spotting daylight at the end of the tunnel.

'Never Felt Better' – World Cup Ambitions Locked In

Chatting to Viaplay ahead of Sweden's do-or-die playoff against Poland next week, Kulusevski was all guns blazing. He's 'very confident' those injury gremlins are history, and he's gunning for a spot in Graham Potter's World Cup squad this summer – assuming the Blågult get past the Poles, of course.

'I understand the worry from the limp, but wrong reasons,' he laughed off. 'Positive that we found the problem and sorted it.' Now? 'Everything should be good. Slowly and surely back. I can see the light.'

The Tottenham star's not mincing words: 'Positive feeling about the World Cup in two or three months. This is how the chapter ends. I'm convinced.' And get this – he reckons he'll return 'much stronger, much better, much smarter' for both club and country. Music to Spurs ears, that.

He's '100 per cent' eyeing game time at the tournament, calling it his 'driving force'. After all, a World Cup tilt is the ultimate carrot – one he's chased but never fully grasped due to the knee carnage.

Spurs Survival Hopes and a Stronger Kulusevski

Over at Tottenham, they need him pronto. The Lilywhites are teetering perilously close to the Premier League trapdoor, scrapping like it's 2010s nostalgia. A few cameos in the run-in could be the rocket fuel they crave.

Kulusevski's not fretting, though. 'Don't worry about me. I've never felt better in my life. Much stronger now.' He swats away doubts like a poorly timed tackle: 'People wonder if I'll be the same player? No, better for my team-mates.'

Imagine him bombing down the right, shrugging off markers with that trademark swagger – but upgraded. Postecoglou's 'knock' turning into a phoenix-from-the-ashes tale? Stranger things have happened in N17.

For Sweden, qualifying via Poland would cap a fairy tale. Potter, fresh from his Brighton glory days, must be rubbing hands at the prospect of Kulusevski's return. The midfielder's been a squad regular, but fitness has been the fly in the ointment.

So, pub verdict? Kulusevski's back from the brink, knee sharper than a Scandi thriller. World Cup dreams? Ticking. Spurs salvation? Fingers crossed. Raise a glass to the lad – he's limping no more, and football's richer for it.