Rodrigo Bentancur is set for another two-and-a-half months out after the Tottenham midfielder tore his ankle ligament during Sunday’s defeat against Aston Villa.
The 26-year-old Uruguayan international was making his first start for the club since February when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a match at Leicester City. However, in the 27th minute on Sunday, Villa defender Matty Cash launched into a late challenge on Bentancur which left him crumpled on the floor.
After attempting to play on for a couple of minutes following treatment, the midfielder was forced to leave the pitch and now football.london understands that scans have shown that the tackle resulted in the tearing of a ligament in his ankle. That means Bentancur is not expected to return until February at the earliest and he will have missed most of 2023 with the two serious injuries.
Ange Postecoglou told football.london after the game when asked about the severity of the player’s injury: “Yeah, not sure. It is his ankle I think. It wasn’t a great tackle. I thought he started the game so well and I think it was the reason we got a real good foothold on the game.
“He’s such a creative player. It’s the last thing we needed, another injury. So disappointed to lose him but we’re yet to see the extent of it.”
Bentancur’s Spurs team-mate Dejan Kulusevski added: “I have to see it again but Rodri was really angry and he said it could maybe be more than a yellow card. It’s just hard for Rodri.
“Unbelievable person, unbelievable player. Out for eight months and comes back after two games and gets injured again. Life is hard. He has to stay strong and he has a great family to support him and good teammates. It’s very hard because I love him as a guy. He’s the guy I want to go to war with and they take him out like that with a bad tackle. That’s life.”
Bentancur’s injury only adds to a long list for Postecoglou which includes the likes of James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, Manor Solomon and Ivan Perisic as well as the suspended Cristian Romero.
Another problem for Postecoglou is that Bentancur’s absence in January will add to that of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr, who will both be at the Africa Cup of Nations for Mali and Senegal respectively. Captain Son Heung-min will be playing for South Korea at the Asian Cup during the same period.