Dejan Kulusevski’s hopes of featuring at the World Cup have officially come to an end after Sweden manager Graham Potter confirmed the Tottenham midfielder will not be part of the squad.
The 26-year-old has endured a frustrating 12 months on the sidelines with a serious right patella injury, and despite recent optimism surrounding his recovery, Sweden have decided not to risk the Spurs star.
Kulusevski had targeted a surprise return after undergoing a second procedure earlier this year.
Back in March, the midfielder confidently stated that his “knee is great now,” sparking hopes of a late comeback before the tournament.
However, Potter has now revealed the decision was made with both the player’s long-term future and Sweden’s campaign in mind.
“With Dejan, again just a very difficult decision,” Potter told a press conference.
“We have to think about what is right for the team, that’s important but also Dejan is in a place where he has had a long fight and he is making progress.
“It’s important now that this time he can really focus on getting himself ready for the start of the season.
“Dejan is at a stage where his rehab is so important and he has made some progress.
“The aim for him would be to start the next season with Tottenham, hit the ground running and to get back on the pitch and do the thing he loves.
“We have to be careful about that and ultimately that is the priority for him.”
Meanwhile, Potter admitted the decision was emotionally difficult, especially knowing how much the World Cup meant to the Swedish international.
The Sweden boss explained that Kulusevski’s current stage of rehabilitation would make it almost impossible for him to reach the required competitive level during the tournament.
“Once those games start, you’re not in an area where you can do big 11 v 11 work, so it would be very difficult for him to get up to where we need him to be.
“Sometimes you have to take a decision of what does this look like. What is the impact for the player? What is the impact for the team?
“And it just felt in my stomach it was the right thing for us and for him, but of course now it’s tough to see that, because he wants to be there and he wants to play, I understand.
“He is a professional person and he accepts it, of course but it is also very difficult as it is with all the guys. These things don’t come along very often, it’s a dream and you’re ending a dream which is not a nice thing believe me.”
Although the World Cup setback is a painful one for Kulusevski, there is growing optimism around his recovery ahead of the new Premier League season.
Tottenham will now hope the influential midfielder can complete his rehabilitation programme successfully and return fully fit when the next campaign kicks off.
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