A complicated knee injury has meant that Dejan Kulusevski has not been able to play football since May last year, and the Tottenham star was not eligible for this summer's World Cup.
The midfielder has stepped up his rehab training during the summer, the British BBC reports.
Kulusevski is healthy and whole, he is one of the best players we have in the squad, says De Zerbi and continues:
I don't want to put too much pressure on him or speed up the rehabilitation process, but I hope he can be available as early as possible.
De Zerbi did not give an exact date for when the Swede is expected to return. Tottenham start the Premier League season on August 22.
Corrected: An earlier version reproduced a significant quote that was later corrected.
