Spurs’ Rodrigo Bentancur set for extended spell on sidelines.
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank is set to be without one of his most important midfielders for a significant stretch of the season, with Rodrigo Bentancur facing at least three months on the sidelines following a hamstring injury that now requires surgery.
That is as per Fabrizio Romano via X. The 28-year-old picked up the problem late in Spurs’ defeat away to AFC Bournemouth last week, going down just moments before Antoine Semenyo’s winning goal. Initial fears have since been confirmed with football.london also confirming that Rodrigo Bentancur will undergo an operation and begin a lengthy rehabilitation process that is likely to rule him out for much of the remainder of the campaign.
The timing could hardly be worse for Frank. Bentancur has been a cornerstone of his midfield this season, starting all but four Premier League matches and featuring in every Champions League fixture. In total, he has made 28 appearances and has become indispensable for his control, positional discipline and ability to dictate tempo. At Bournemouth, he was on course for his fourth full 90-minute outing in just 11 days before his hamstring gave way.
Injuries-Galore for Tottenham Hotspur
For Bentancur, on a personal level, he would be devastated. Being a mainstay in the middle of the park for his struggling club is one thing, but this is a World Cup year, too. Second only to his previous nine-month absence due to an ACL tear, he would hope to bounce back from this setback at the earliest.
Bentancur now joins a growing injury list that has crippled Tottenham’s options. Mohammed Kudus sees himself sidelined until April with a quad problem, while Richarlison came off in the first half of the FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa with a hamstring issue. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski remain long-term absentees, while Lucas Bergvall missed the Villa match with what appeared to be a recurrence of a groin problem.
Apart from Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma (returning from AFCON shortly), Joao Palhinha and Archie Gray are Frank’s senior central midfield options to choose from. The transfer activity will, perhaps, see itself accelerated now. Long-term target Conor Gallagher continues to remain under consideration, with interest from Aston Villa looming too.
Without Bentancur’s experience and balance in the middle of the park, Frank has a tougher job at steadying the sinking ship that he’s managing.
