According to ESPN, Tottenham manager De Zerbi said Kulusevski's return will be like a new signing.

Due to a right patellar tendon injury, Kulusevski has not played for Tottenham since the end of the 2023-24 season. The injury sidelined the Swedish international for 19 months and caused him to miss the summer World Cup.

Kulusevski returned to full training this week. He resumed training in August but suffered a minor setback. Now he is back on the pitch for training but will not feature in Saturday's match against Aston Villa, with a possible return in October or November.

De Zerbi said: "We have to work with the medical and fitness staff to help Kulusevski recover in the best way possible, but his return is great news for us. He is a wonderful player and a good person, and he deserves to be back on the pitch. We have to take it step by step, and the international break will also be very important for him. Once he returns to his best form and is completely fit, I think it will be like a fantastic signing, another new player for us."

In an injury-plagued 2023-24 season, Kulusevski was one of Tottenham's best performing players. Since then, he has missed the entire previous season due to a long-term knee injury.

Maddison's situation is similar. He suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in August last year and only returned in May this year, helping Tottenham secure Premier League survival.

Maddison's pre-season preparation was hampered, and he suffered a shoulder injury in Tottenham's opening Premier League away match at Brentford. However, he came off the bench in the 1-3 League Cup defeat to Liverpool and performed well, and is expected to have more playing time in Saturday's match against Villa.

De Zerbi added: "Maddison has been training with the team for the past 10 to 15 days, maybe not quite 15 days. Even though he is a technical player, he needs to maintain his fitness and form. Once he returns to his best, his character, quality, ability, and experience will be very important for us. His passing quality is different from other players."

Porro and Tonali missed Tuesday's defeat to Liverpool but both could feature in Saturday's match.

Tottenham have not won and have not scored in their first four Premier League matches. Villa are below Tottenham with 1 point in 19th place.

De Zerbi said: "You have to stay calm and trust in what you and the players are doing. They have my complete confidence."

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