James Maddison Set to Return for Tottenham Against Everton

James Maddison is back in the frame for Tottenham’s clash with Everton, with Roberto De Zerbi confirming the playmaker is ready to be involved after a brief spell on the sidelines.

The midfielder has missed the last three games in all competitions with a shoulder problem, a frustrating pause for one of Spurs’ key creative outlets. Now he has been passed fit to return, handing De Zerbi a timely boost as the schedule begins to tighten.

The news is less encouraging for Dejan Kulusevski. Any hopes of seeing the Swede back in the squad have been parked for now. He has not trained over the past week and will remain out.

Kulusevski, who spent more than a year battling a knee injury before only recently getting back on the grass, has suffered what De Zerbi described as a small setback. The club is taking no risks, keeping him away from full sessions while he recovers.

“No, Kulusevski is not working with us the last week,” the Spurs head coach said. “It's not a big problem. It's a normal problem.”

Mykhailo Mudryk is also unavailable. De Zerbi did not hide his irritation, labelling it a “stupid injury” and pointing to the realities of managing a player who has gone so long without consistent football.

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

So Maddison returns, Kulusevski waits, and Mudryk sits out. De Zerbi must now piece together a frontline without two of his wide options, while welcoming back the man who so often knits Tottenham’s attacks into something dangerous.