Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur opens up on life under manager Antonio Conte

Speaking about working under head coach Antonio Conte on the club’s official programme, as quoted by football.london, Tottenham Hotspur newbie Rodrigo Bentancur said it was an honour to have him as his coach.

Bentancur moved to Tottenham on deadline day of the winter transfer window, sealing a permanent move to north London after spending nearly half a decade with Juventus in Serie A.

The Uruguayan said that Conte spoke to him before his first training session, with the player keen on improving and learning from the head coach. Conte was the manager at Juventus but that was several years before Bentancur’s move to Turin.

“Sure, we had a chat before the first training session, and he said to me that I have great potential and that l can improve my game. It’s an honour to have him as my coach and I hope to learn a lot from him. I’m really happy to be here.”

Bentancur made his debut for the club in the fourth round of the FA Cup against Brighton & Hove Albion, coming off the bench in the second half to make a late but impressive cameo, as Spurs ran out 3-1 winners to progress to the latter stages of the cup competition.

Conte was key for move

The Uruguay international got his first taste of Premier League action last night, once again making a substitute appearance against Southampton. However, this time around, he could not prevent his side from conceding two late goals to suffer a home defeat.

Bentancur revealed that having Conte at Spurs was a big reason for his choice to move to north London and that he was looking forward to playing in the Premier League.

“I’m really excited. I’m excited to play in this league and, knowing that Antonio Conte was here as well, it was one of the most important things in making the decision to come. He’s a great coach that can help me to improve.”

Conte is a master tactician and serial winner, managing multiple clubs in different leagues to several trophies in his career. It explains Bentancur’s high praise of the Italian boss, and the Uruguayan will be hoping that he too can enjoy the same success under Conte.

So far, the 24-year-old is yet to make an impact on a Tottenham game from the very start. He will be hoping for that to change on Sunday, as Spurs square up against Wolves in the league and shake off last night’s tough loss.

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Conte seems to be easing the player into the English game, wary of how demanding the league can be for someone who hasn’t played in it before. Having spent the majority of his playing career in Serie A, it may take some time for Bentancur to adapt to the Premier League.

However, an early assessment of the midfielder seems to indicate that the Uruguay international is capable of handling the responsibility, and fans can hope that he will kick on from here and become a reliable midfield mainstay for years to come.