Injury expert predicts how long Rodrigo Bentancur could be out for Tottenham

Injury analyst Ben Dinnery has said that Rodrigo Bentancur is potentially looking at two to three months on the sidelines, adding that Tottenham would want to ease the Uruguayan back into proceedings slowly even after he recovers fully.

Spurs fans waited almost nine months to see Bentancur make a Premier League start after the midfielder ruptured his ACL at the King Power Stadium back in February.

For the first half an hour of the game against Aston Villa, it looked like the 26-year-old had never been away as he dictated proceedings in the middle of the park and was the best player on the pitch.

However, disaster then struck for the former Juventus man, who was on the end of a nasty tackle from Matt Cash, with scans later confirming that he had torn his ankle ligaments.

It came as a bitter blow to both Tottenham and Bentancur, who had worked so hard to return to full fitness in the months prior.

Bentancur could be out for two to three months

Dinnery has now explained that the midfielder would have to be eased into proceedings when he is back in action around February as he is at the risk of picking up muscle injuries as a result of not having played much football over the last 12 months.

When asked how long Bentancur is likely to be out for, Dinnery told Football.London: “It’s difficult because no injury is identical due to players’ recoveries and responses. Different timelines for different players and their healing process.

“I think we are looking in and around that two to three-month period. Always difficult with long-term injuries and of course you are coming off the back of that ACL reconstructive surgery. So there’s been a lot of time on the sidelines.

“Even in that game, I was actually quite surprised that he had started for Uruguay in the international break. Came back and second start in a week.

“You’re probably aware that you maybe need to manage Bentancur slightly differently to other players considering by the time he comes back, you are talking well over maybe 12-13 months on the sidelines with a minimum amount of competitive minutes over that period.

“So, it’s about building up a base level of fitness, opportunities to get to a level where you can compete and again, stay fit because how often have we seen players coming back from long-term injuries and all of a sudden they are picking up soft-tissue and muscle tears.

“Hamstrings, calves, abductor. So, they will be aware of that. Early 2024, after the winter break and fingers crossed it is sooner rather than later and when he does return, he does stay fit for the remainder of the campaign.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Bentancur would have essentially missed a full year’s worth of football when he returns from his injury and there is a very real risk of the midfielder starting to pick up regular niggles as a result of not having been out of the game for so long.

However, the 26-year-old is naturally quite fit and hardly picked up any injuries in his career before his ACL problem. So, Spurs will be hopeful that he can put his issues behind him and turn a corner.

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