Tottenham Hotspur facing midfield crisis as Rodrigo Bentancur is ruled out for action upto three weeks
According to the Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a midfield crisis as Rodrigo Bentancur has been ruled out for up to three weeks due to an injury he suffered at Turf Moor when Spurs took on Burnley midweek in the Premier League.
Bentancur moved to Tottenham on a permanent basis last month on deadline day of the winter transfer window from Juventus. The Uruguayan has to his credit done well since moving to N-17.
However, the midfielder is likely to be out of action for a while after he underwent a scan on Thursday to determine the extent of the injury he suffered against the Clarets. This rules him out of tomorrow’s clash against Leeds United.
The 24-year-old started the Burnley game along with fellow deadline day signing and former Juventus teammate Dejan Kulusevski. However, he was forced off at half-time as his side fell to a 1-0 away loss that hurt their chances to climb up the Premier League table.
Midfield crisis for Conte
Manager Antonio Conte does not need any more bad news at the moment, considering he oversaw his side’s fourth league defeat in five games, and the news about Bentancur’s unavailability will frustrate him even more.
This leaves the Italian with Harry Winks and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as the only senior midfielders available in the squad. In addition to Bentancur, the head coach is also missing Oliver Skipp since last month after he developed an infection during treatment for a groin injury.
Bentancur was seen limping in the first half of the Burnley game after he slipped on the wet pitch in the opening minutes of the match. He somehow managed to play the entirety of the half but did not return for the second period of the game.
Winks took his place on the pitch for the remainder of the game, and the Englishman is expected to take to the field again tomorrow against Leeds. The 26-year-old has not seen much game time this season, so he will look to make the most of this opportunity.
More Tottenham Hotspur News
- Tottenham Hotspur unconcerned about Antonio Conte future despite rant following Burnley loss
- Tottenham Hotspur target Serge Gnabry as complications arise over new Bayern Munich contract
- Tottenham Hotspur held talks with Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen regarding a summer transfer
Conte is now one midfield injury away from a full-blown crisis and will rue Tottenham’s transfer business in January after letting three midfielders leave the club on loan until the end of the season.
If needed, Eric Dier can step up in the middle of the park as the England international has done so before in his career, but that would leave their defence weak. The manager will hope that his current available midfield pair get through tomorrow’s game without any hassle, and hope that Skipp and Bentancur make quick recoveries from their injuries.
