November 5 (Beijing time) – According to an exclusive report from The Times, Xavi Simons will resume training with his teammates later this month, earlier than expected.
According to Tom Allnutt of The Times, the Dutch international will rejoin his teammates in training later this month, about two months earlier than expected after the ACL tear he suffered in April.
Simons will return to team training seven months after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, which will be a major boost for Tottenham and Roberto De Zerbi.
His rehabilitation is considered ahead of schedule since he injured his right knee in the match against Wolves on April 25. ACL injuries typically sideline players for about nine months, and on that timeline the Dutchman would not have been expected back until late January.
Simons has been training alone on the grass since late September. The 23-year-old is expected to enter the final stage of his recovery after this month's international break, when he will rejoin Tottenham's full training sessions.
Given Tottenham's problems in the attacking third this season, his return will be a significant lift. After consecutive victories over Coventry City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace, Tottenham have climbed to ninth in the Premier League table, but they have scored only 10 goals in nine league matches.
Simons returned to Spain for the first phase of his recovery to work with his core support team, and his family still lives in Alicante. He then traveled to Austria for surgery with a specialist known for treating skiers.
The midfielder entered the second phase of his rehabilitation during a training camp in Los Angeles in the last week of September, where he trained with Los Angeles FC and returned to the pitch for his first work with the ball. Simons then returned to Tottenham in early October, and in recent weeks he has been progressing steadily, working closely with the club's new Director of Athletic Performance, Dan Lewington.
According to the plan, Simons will complete the second phase of his rehabilitation this weekend and then rest during the international break, before rejoining team training for the final phase of his recovery later this month.
When Simons returns to competitive play will depend on how he progresses in training. Tottenham have been cautious with injuries this season, as the club is determined to end the run of injury problems of recent years. Bentancur and Maddison took eight and a half months and nine months, respectively, to return to the pitch after suffering ACL injuries in 2023 and 2025.
It is understood that Simons' progress in running ability and in the stability of his leg muscle mass has exceeded expectations. These areas typically take longer to recover after an ACL injury. In the coming weeks, the focus will be on improving his balance and strength in related areas such as the hips.
Simons has a close relationship with De Zerbi, who has stayed in contact with the attacking midfielder over the past seven months. In April, De Zerbi said he felt a "special connection" with Simons because he himself used to play as a No. 10.
Simons joined the Barcelona youth academy at the age of six and subsequently played for Paris Saint-Germain, PSV Eindhoven and RB Leipzig. During his rehabilitation he has made use of his network of contacts. He trained at Salzburg, which belongs to the same Red Bull group as RB Leipzig, traveled to the United States to visit NFL teams, and enrolled in a semester-long online business course at Harvard University.
Simons joined Tottenham from RB Leipzig last August for £52 million. He made a slow start during Tottenham's turbulent early season but showed his best form after De Zerbi took over in March, including scoring a brilliant goal against Brighton & Hove Albion. Simons made 40 appearances for Tottenham last season, contributing five goals and six assists.