Dejan Kulusevski has opened up about the knee injury that kept him on the sidelines for over 18 months and revealed that he turned down a possible knee transplant treatment.

Kulusevski also explained how his recovery weighed heavily on his mind amid fears that he would never play football again.

The 26-year-old missed 526 days of playing time including the entirety of the 2025/26 season after suffering a patella injury during a defeat to Crystal Palace in May 2025.

He also missed the start of the current season but has since returned to action in substitute appearances against Coventry, Palace and Leeds United.

Speaking of his injury and the extent of his recovery, Kulusevski explored how he thought “it’s over, it’s over” when attempting to get back on the pitch and reignite his career before confessing to his mother that his treatment options may not work out.

Now the forward is back and fit enough to feature on a professional level and has been selected for Sweden’s Nations League games this month. Getting on the pitch against Bosnia and Herzegovina or Poland would see Kulusevski make his first international appearance in two years.

The Tottenham man also revealed why his recovery took as long as it did.

“The reason it took so long is that there are people who haven’t even recovered from injuries like this,” he told Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen.

“I spent the whole summer talking to other doctors about having another operation. It would have been a knee transplant — swapping my knee for someone else’s.

“So I said no: ‘This is what we’ll do: if I’m in pain when I play, I’ll just have to play through the pain.’ I trained and tried to live like a normal person. I trusted that it would work out. So far, I’ve been right.”

Kulusevski went on to add that he was advised by doctors that a knee transplant had a “50/50” chance of setting his recovery back for an extended period of time.

The winger also spoke to former teammates, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ivan Perisic, who recommended a doctor in Serbia and Kulusevski praised the work and advise he received.

He added: “He [the doctor] was so sure it would work out. I needed someone by my side who would say to me: ‘Dejan, this is going to be fine.’ So he was important to me.”

Sweden are top of Group B4 in the Nations League and have the chance to secure promotion to League A.