Both Dejan Kulusevski and Mohammed Kudus have been left out of Tottenham’s squad for their pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia, as the duo’s recovery continues to falter.
Spurs are continuing their pre-season with three fixtures taking place across Auckland and Sydney, following a slender 1-0 win over League One side MK Dons at Hotspur Way on Wednesday.
But Kulusevski and Kudus have both been omitted from Roberto De Zerbi’s 35-man squad, as both struggle to recover from long-term injuries.
There had been hope that Kudus was closing in on a comeback, having not featured for Tottenham since significantly injuring his quad against Sunderland in January, as he had been pictured back at the gym at the Spurs training base.
However, Kulusevski has not been pictured back in Enfield, with fears over his knee issues continuing to grow.
The Swede has not played for Tottenham in 14 months, having had surgery on his right patella after injuring it ahead of Spurs’ Europa League triumph in May 2025.
Mohammed Kudus has returned to training but will not travel with Spurs’ squad to New Zealand and Australia
Kulusevski has been absent for 14 months and is no closer to recovering from his knee injury
Two more wide players have also been left at home, with Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons said to remain in London ‘to continue their rehabilitation’.
Both Odobert and Simons are still months away from fitness after cruciate knee ligament surgeries.
Tottenham have also confirmed that Guglielmo Vicario will be absent from the pre-season tour after picking up a ‘minor knock’ in training.
£185million duo Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, fresh from his stunner against MK Dons, will travel with the squad to the southern hemisphere.
Fellow new signings Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Martin Dubravka will also enjoy their first tour with Spurs, but Marcos Senesi is on an extended break after making the World Cup final with Argentina.
Robertson appears to have already made friends at the club, with James Maddison already making jokey jibes toward the Scottish left-back.
The midfielder posted a picture of the former Liverpool man looking moody on his Instagram story, followed by the caption: ‘He better liven up if he’s my company for this 26-hour flight.’
