James Maddison Returns for Tottenham Against Everton

James Maddison is set to hand Tottenham a timely boost, with Roberto De Zerbi confirming the playmaker is ready to return to action against Everton.

The midfielder has missed the last three games in all competitions with a shoulder problem, a frustrating spell on the sidelines for one of Spurs’ key creative sparks. He has now been passed fit and is expected to be involved, offering De Zerbi fresh options between the lines.

The news is less encouraging for Dejan Kulusevski. The Swede will stay out of contention after failing to train over the past week. Having only recently returned from more than a year out with a knee injury, he has hit another bump in the road.

“No, Kulusevski is not working with us the last week,” De Zerbi said. “It’s not a big problem. It’s a normal problem.”

Tottenham are treating it as a minor setback, but it is still an unwelcome pause in the winger’s attempt to rebuild rhythm and sharpness after such a long absence.

Mykhailo Mudryk is also unavailable. De Zerbi described it as a “stupid injury”, the kind of avoidable issue that stings even more when a player is still fighting to re-establish himself after a long stretch without regular football.

“It was a stupid injury for Mudryk, but we hope he will be back soon,” De Zerbi added. “It’s a normal process when a player has not played in a long time.”

So Maddison returns, Kulusevski waits, and Mudryk watches on, as Spurs try to manage fragile bodies while chasing full throttle performances.