Simons Discusses Injury Setback and Road to Recovery

At Molineux, one twist of a knee changed everything.

The ligament rupture that shattered Simons’ season did more than rule him out of a relegation fight with Spurs. It ripped away a World Cup summer with the Netherlands and left one of Europe’s most gifted midfielders staring at months of rehab instead of the world stage.

For Tottenham, the timing was brutal. They were locked in a desperate scrap to stay in the Premier League, their margins thin, their confidence fragile. Simons’ campaign ended in an instant. Spurs had to finish the job without him.

Roberto De Zerbi eventually dragged the north London club over the line, survival secured on the final day. The relief at full-time was raw, the kind that only comes when a season has been spent looking over the edge. But while Spurs clung on, the international dream vanished for Simons.

In North America, the Netherlands bowed out early, beaten on penalties by Morocco in the first knockout round. For a player who had already tasted a World Cup in a limited role in Qatar four years earlier, this one was supposed to be different.

“This World Cup was a little bit different because I [felt that I] really could help the team to achieve the goal,” he told The Sports Agents podcast, the frustration still close to the surface.

The diagnosis hit him hard.

“When they tell you how long this injury is, and for me the first two days were really hard,” he admitted. “But after that, I told myself, don’t put the pressure really, really high on myself, and I'm seeing improvement every day, and that's something that makes me really happy.”

That shift in mindset has become his anchor. The big nights and packed stadiums have been replaced by small, almost mundane victories. And yet, for someone used to living at full tilt, those are the moments that now carry the most weight.

Looking back on the incident at Molineux, Simons spoke with a clarity that only comes once the initial shock has faded.

“I have to be happy just walking again, going to the toilet and even having a drink with my family. So, that was something that really hit into my head.”

It is the language of an elite athlete confronting one of the game’s most feared injuries and realising that the first battle is not against the clock, but against his own expectations.

Pre-season has begun without him. Spurs plan, drill, and reshape under De Zerbi while one of their key talents works in the shadows, counting steps instead of minutes on the pitch. The club know they are unlikely to see him in competitive action this calendar year; his return is expected in 2027.

For now, the story is not about assists, goals, or tactical roles. It is about patience, about a player who believed he was ready to lead his country on the biggest stage learning to celebrate simply being able to walk unaided.

When he does finally pull on a Spurs shirt again, the journey back from that moment at Molineux will hang over every touch. The question is not whether he remembers what was taken from him.

It’s how much stronger he’ll be when he gets it back.