Rodrigo Bentancur will be out of the field for Tottenham Hotspur until at least the end of October or the beginning of November
Having to undergo surgery, Rodrigo Bentancur will be out of the field for Tottenham Hotspur until at least the end of October or the beginning of November. Injury struck the midfielder in the loss to Leicester City.
Sky Sports News reports that Bentancur’s injury may be more serious than first thought. The midfielder will not play again this season, according to Tottenham. But his absence may be as long as seven or eight months.
Bentancur’s left knee ACL was torn during Spurs’ 4-1 defeat at the King Power Stadium. The 25-year-old started his 18th Premier League game of the season on Saturday. He’s been in the lineup for 26 games, 24 of which were starts.
The Uruguayan midfielder has 54 caps for his country and is an important cog in Antonio Conte’s Spurs midfield. Bentancur has scored six goals and assisted on two more this season while also appearing in 26 games. Just 14 minutes into the match against Leicester, he scored the game-winning goal.
In the 65th minute, when Bentancur collided with Nampalys Mendy, Conte was forced to make a substitution. The referee, Michael Salisbury, and the medical team all rushed to help the guy from Nueva Helvecia, but he got up and walked away. Yet Bentancur became the latest member of Tottenham to suffer an injury.
Spurs midfielder Bentancur joined goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and defender Yves Bissouma in the locker room due to injuries. As a result of Lloris’s knee injury, Conte may be without his starting goalie for up to eight weeks. After having ankle surgery, Bissouma is also done for the season.
However, having played a pivotal part in the north Londoners’ season, Conte will regret Bentancur’s blow more than anybody. Due to the unavailability of Bissouma, Conte has few options to replace Bissouma in the starting lineup with Eric Dier in central defence. This leaves Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp, and Pape Matar Sarr as the most likely candidates.
Spurs manager Conte may want to switch Dier to a different defensive position in light of Bentancur’s injury. Although the England international is a talented player, he will not be able to have the same kind of impression as the Uruguayan great, whom Gus Poyet has described as “excellent” on the ball and “powerful” in his defensive positions.
