The medical room at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has felt more like a permanent residence for some of the club’s most influential stars this season, and the latest updates on Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur offer a sobering reality check for the fans.
As interim manager Igor Tudor prepares his squad for what is being described as a season-defining “six-pointer” against Nottingham Forest, he will have to do so without two of his most creative and industrious outlets. The road to recovery for both the Swedish winger and the Uruguayan midfielder has been long and fraught with complications, leaving the North Londoners to navigate their current relegation scrap with a significantly diminished arsenal.
The concern is that any premature return could trigger a setback that might end his season entirely or even impact his long-term career. Former manager Graham Potter had previously hinted that the recovery was moving slower than anyone at the club had hoped, a sentiment echoed by the fact that Kulusevski was left out of the latest Sweden international squad.
This lack of a clear prognosis means that supporters might see him back in the starting eleven “out of the blue,” or they might not see him again until the 2026/27 pre-season. It is a waiting game that offers no guarantees, leaving a massive void on the right flank that the team has struggled to fill.
On the other side of the recovery spectrum is Rodrigo Bentancur. While his situation is also long-term, there is at least a more structured timeline in place. Bentancur has already reached a significant milestone by returning to field-based work, where he is currently being reintroduced to football-specific movements and agility drills.
According to Gold, the technical goal is for the midfielder to be “ready” by the end of March, but this does not translate to immediate match fitness. The reality of the Premier League’s intensity means that being medically cleared and being “match ready” are two very different things.
The current plan points toward a competitive return in late April, aligning with the original estimates provided by his personal fitness coaches.
This means that even in the best-case scenario, Bentancur will miss the majority of the remaining fixtures, only potentially featuring in the final few games of the campaign. For a team that has looked overrun in midfield during several key matches this year, the absence of his composure and passing range is a heavy burden to carry.
The “April target” makes logical sense given the severity of the injury he sustained, but it provides little comfort to a fanbase that is watching their team hover dangerously close to the relegation zone.
| Player | Injury Type | Current Status | Expected Return to Play |
| Dejan Kulusevski | Complicated Knee | Pain Management / Gym Work | Unknown (Potential Season-Ending) |
| Rodrigo Bentancur | Hamstring/Surgery | Field-based drills / Agility | Late April 2026 |
| James Maddison | Knee | Long-term Rehab | Summer 2026 |
| Wilson Odobert | ACL Rupture | Post-Surgery / Recovery | November 2026 |
The timing of these updates is particularly painful given the importance of the Nottingham Forest clash. Both players have been completely ruled out for the weekend, forcing Igor Tudor to rely on a makeshift creative department.
While the recent return of players like Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero has shored up the defense, the lack of a “link man” in the middle of the pitch remains a glaring weakness. The 1-1 draw at Anfield and the win over Atletico Madrid showed that the team has the grit to compete, but without Kulusevski’s directness and Bentancur’s ability to dictate the tempo, every goal feels like it has to be manufactured through sheer willpower rather than tactical flow.
For the supporters, the news reinforces the idea that this season is about survival by any means necessary. The dream of a fully fit, fluent Tottenham side has been deferred to next year.
For now, the focus is on the players who are available the likes of Archie Gray and Xavi Simons to step up and bridge the gap left by their senior colleagues. Tudor has been praised for his ability to find “firefighter” solutions, and he will need to reach deep into his tactical playbook once again to ensure that the absence of his star duo doesn’t result in a slip down the table.
The “Doomsday scenario” of relegation remains a mathematical possibility, and the lack of a definitive return date for Kulusevski only adds to the tension. However, the structured progress of Bentancur offers a small light at the end of the tunnel. If the team can keep their heads above water until the end of April, having a player of his caliber return for the final two or three games could be the deciding factor in staying up.
Until then, the medical reports will continue to be scanned with equal parts hope and dread, as the club fights to preserve its top-flight status under the most challenging circumstances imaginable.
