Rodrigo Bentancur to miss 6-8 months for Tottenham due to knee injury picked up in Leicester mauling – report

Tottenham and Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is expected to be sidelined for up to eight months with a reported ACL tear, suffered in Spurs’ 4-1 humiliation against Leicester City on Saturday.

Bentancur scored the opener for Tottenham at the King Power Stadium, but was withdrawn in the 65th minute with an evident knee injury.

After the match, assistant manager Cristian Stellini was optimistic about Bentancur’s injury.

He said: “We know that he feels pain, he can walk, so we have to wait a bit of time to check and understand what happened. We hope he feels better in a few days, and we can have him back soon.”

There were immediate concerns for Bentancur when he was withdrawn against Leicester, but reports began circulating on Sunday that the Uruguay star has indeed suffered an ACL tear.

This was reported by Fabrizio Romano, although Spurs are yet to make an official statement on the injury.

Spanish newspaper El Pais and Argentinian outlet Tyc Sport reported similar expectations.

The 25-year-old Bentancur has been a revelation for Spurs since joining from Juventus in January 2022.

The Uruguayan’s athleticism and press resistance are vital to making coach Antonio Conte’s two-man midfield function, but the midfielder seems set to miss the remainder of this campaign and the beginning of the next.

The news comes at the end of a horror week for the North London club. Club captain Hugo Lloris was ruled out for 6-8 weeks with a knee injury, summer signing Yves Bissouma underwent surgery on a fractured leg and wing-back Ryan Sessegnon suffered a significant hamstring issue all before kick off against Leicester.

Bentancur has been a virtual ever-present for Spurs in a difficult campaign. He’s scored five goals and picked up two assists in 18 Premier League appearances. Only Harry Kane has more goal contributions for Conte’s side.

Tottenham now face the prospect of competing in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League with only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp, and Pape Matar-Sarr available as senior midfield options.

Spurs’ next fixture is a trip to San Siro to face Italian champions AC Milan in the Champions League, a match for which Hojbjerg is also suspended.

Bentancur’s injury looms as a disastrous development for a Tottenham side already fighting against the odds for a top-four finish.

Conte may now find himself looking over his shoulder at the emergence of Brighton, rather than ahead at Newcastle United who occupy fourth place.