Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has expressed his disappointment after confirming Rodrigo Bentancur will be out for at least two months.
After joining the North London club from Juventus last year, the South American has showcased glimpses of his qualities at the newly renovated White Hart Lane in recent times.
However, injury problems have prevented him from flourishing his career at the Lilywhites. The midfielder suffered a serious knee issue back in February as a result, he was out for an extended period.
Bentancur recently returned to action after recovering from his injury and was looking promising. However, he sustained torn ankle ligaments during Tottenham’s defeat to Aston Villa last weekend.
Postecoglou has now confirmed Bentancur will be out for ‘at least two months’, according to the Evening Standard, meaning he might be on the sidelines until February next year.
Speaking on the press-conference ahead of the game against Manchester City on Sunday, Postecoglou expressed his disappointment and said that he is ‘gutted’ Bentancur has suffered another serious setback after recovering from his ACL injury.
Postecoglou gutted after Bentancur’s injury
Postecoglou is quoted by the Standard as saying
“The biggest emotion you have is for him. From the moment I arrived, I think my first day I bumped into him, he was just that determined to get back. He had his own timelines in his head and he kept banging on my door about being involved. We held back because obviously with such a significant [ACL] injury you want to make sure they’re ready.
“He’d done everything right. He had a good international break where he got back playing for his country and he started the [Villa] game so well. With all that context you’re just gutted for him because of the person he is and what he’s gone through. But that’s unfortunately the challenges football sometimes throws up at you.
“He’s still such a positive guy. I caught up with him yesterday and he’s just determined to crack on and get back as quickly as possible. And I can’t wait to get him back in because you saw his quality. If it was me I’d be a hell of a lot grumpier around the place.
“He’s got a really positive outlook. He knows that he’s been through a tough time and now he’s got to go through a shorter tough time but he also knows that, and he felt it when he was out there [against Villa], that he hasn’t lost anything as a footballer. That’s the important thing. I think that’s given him the incentive to be back as quickly as possible and again make an impact for us.”
Bentancur is a highly talented player and his injury is a big blow for Tottenham. The North London club have been struggling with injury problems in recent times as apart from the Uruguayan, Richarlison, James Maddison and Micky van de Ven are also currently sidelined with their respective issues.
So, it is going to be interesting to see whether Postecoglou’s side can continue performing at their best in the upcoming fixtures without so many important players.
