Dejan Kulusevski’s long wait to return to the pitch finally ended on Monday night, as the attacking midfielder came off the bench to help Tottenham see off Coventry City.

The road back has been long, hard, and at times, a dark one for Kulusevski, who suffered a complicated knee injury back in May of last year and has suffered multiple setbacks during his rehabilitation.

Some Spurs fans were even wondering whether the attacking midfielder would play again, as it appeared that his return was getting perpetually pushed back.

However, the Sweden international’s hard work has finally paid off, and he got the opportunity to come onto the pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the 87th minute on Monday to one of the biggest cheers of the night.

Roberto De Zerbi admits he wanted Tottenham fans to see Dejan Kulusevski play

Not only did the 26-year-old receive a great reception when he came on, but the supporters were also cheering almost every touch of his.

In stoppage time, Kulusevski showed that he still has not lost his pace, as he skipped past a challenge and carried the ball into the attacking third, but the attack came to nothing due to the lack of bodies in the box.

De Zerbi has now admitted that he wanted to bring the Swede on in order to lift the stadium and give Spurs fans some joy, given how long they have waited to see him play.

When asked about his decision to bring on Kulusevski, the Tottenham boss told Football.London: “Listen, Kudus, I thought he was playing well; I think he could finish the game, but I thought of Kulusevski just for the fans.

“Just for the fans because they waited (for) him on the pitch and in the last 5-10 minutes for extra time, we needed the support of the fans. And they are fantastic with Kulusevski, with us, they suffered too much in the last 3-4 seasons, I don’t know, but they deserve to celebrate many, many wins.”

De Zerbi wants Spurs to play with the same mentality and attitude against Chelsea

Tottenham now have a platform to build on after finally getting over the line and securing a win for the seventh time this season.

De Zerbi wants to see his players continue playing with the same spirit and mentality, but he admitted that tougher challenges await the team.

When asked if Spurs can build on this result, with a trip to Chelsea up next, the Italian said: “I don’t know. I hope we can play with this attitude, with this mentality, with this union, and improve at the same time, improving confidence, improving everything we need.

“We have to play better because we can play better. I think other games, even if we play with different opponents, it would be easier as a tactical game. But for sure, now we have to push in this way.”