James Maddison scored a superb curled goal on Monday night, mere minutes into his first Tottenham start since April 2025.
He tore his ACL in a pre-season friendly against Newcastle, having previously been hit with a serious injury in the same knee, and suffered a number of setbacks en route to full fitness.
But the 29-year-old got the nod as the newly-promoted, upwardly mobile Coventry visited the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday night and he wasted no time establishing himself in the match.
With just 14 minutes on the clock, he received a lateral pass from Mohammed Kudus and struck it first time, bending a superb shot beyond the outstretched hand of Carl Rushworth and into the top-right corner.
He wheeled away in a subdued celebration, but received the adulation of his team-mates, who knew full well the ordeal he has been through in recent months.
WATCH: Maddison opens scoring in style on first start since April 2025
Speaking ahead of this match, De Zerbi suggested he expects Maddison to continue improving at an exponential rate as he gets more minutes under his belt.
“You need to play many games to reach the best physical condition,” he explained. “But there are players able to be important even if they play 10-15-20 minutes and James is one player like this.”
There is another long-term absentee in the Tottenham squad this evening, with Dejan Kulusevski making the matchday squad for the first time since May 2025.
He has been out with a complex Patella injury, and stands to make his first competitive appearance since then against the Sky Blues.