It's a Times 'exclusive ' one I posted about last week!

Boost for goal-shy Tottenham with Xavi Simons to return ahead of schedule​

Dutch international is due to to start training with his team-mates later this month — about two months earlier than expected — after rupturing ACL in April​

exclusive

Tom Allnutt
Wednesday November 04 2026, 7.35pm, The Times

Xavi Simons is set to deliver a huge boost to Tottenham Hotspur and Roberto De Zerbi by rejoining team training later this month, seven months after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.
Simons is believed to be ahead of schedule after suffering the injury to his right knee while playing against Wolverhampton Wanderers on April 25. ACL injuries usually force players to be out for about nine months, on which timescale the Dutchman would not have returned until late January.

Simons has been training alone on the grass since the end of September and the 23-year-old is expected to enter the final phase of his recovery after this month’s international break, which will include being reintegrated into training with the Tottenham team.

His return would come as a huge boost for Spurs given their problems in the final third this term. Tottenham have surged up to ninth in the Premier League table after consecutive victories over Coventry City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace but have scored only ten goals across nine league games so far.
Simons missed Tottenham’s final four games of last season and the World Cup

Simons spent the first phase of his recovery with his own core team of coaches back in Spain, where his family are still based in Alicante, and underwent surgery in Austria with a specialist renowned for their work on skiers.

The midfielder began phase two during a training block in Los Angeles in the last week of September, where he worked at LAFC and first started doing ball work again on the pitch. Simons then returned to Tottenham in early October, where he has been stepping up his rehabilitation in recent weeks and working closely with the club’s new performance director, Dan Lewindon.

The plan is for Simons to complete phase two of his recovery at the end of this week and then to have some time off during the international break, before rejoining team training in the final stage of his recovery later this month.
Simons’s return to playing in competitive matches will then depend on his response to training, and it should be noted that Tottenham have been cautious this season around fitness issues, with the club determined to end the spiral of injury crises of recent years. Rodrigo Bentancur needed 8½ months and James Maddison nine months to return to playing after they suffered ACL injuries in 2023 and 2025 respectively.
Simons scored a spectacular goal for Tottenham against Brighton a week before he suffered an ACL injuryCatherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Simons is believed to be ahead of schedule in aspects such as his running ability and the consistency of muscle mass in his legs, which often take longer to come back after ACL injuries. Boosting balance and strength in related areas like his hips will be a key focus in the coming weeks.
Simons enjoys a close relationship with De Zerbi, who has been in constant contact with the attacking midfielder during the past seven months. In April, De Zerbi even said he had a “special connection” with Simons because he also used to play as a No10.

Simons, who joined Barcelona’s academy aged six, before playing for Paris Saint-Germain, PSV Eindhoven and RB Leipzig, has been making use of his connections during his recovery. He trained at RB Salzburg, who are linked to RB Leipzig as part of the Red Bull group, and spent time in the United States, where he visited the NFL side, Baltimore Ravens, and signed up to an online business course for a term with Harvard.
Simons, who joined Tottenham from RB Leipzig for £52m in August last year, started slowly in a chaotic season for Spurs but played his best games after the appointment of De Zerbi in March, which included him scoring a stunning goal against Brighton & Hove Albion. Simons registered five goals and six assists in 40 appearances for Tottenham last season.