‘Bentancur, even you… ‘Tottenham’s missing key player, ‘injury ward’

The evil spirit of injury has once again struck Tottenham Hotspur of the English professional football Premier League (EPL), where Son Heung-min is playing as captain. They are already struggling with injuries to their starting players, and their worries are growing as one of their key midfielders has collapsed again.

Tottenham lost 1-2 to Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England on the 26th (Korean time). They fell to 5th place due to losing 3 consecutive league games and failing to score any points. But what was more painful than that was the loss of Rodrigue Bentancur.

On this day, Tottenham coach Anger Postecoglou formed a midfield with Giovani Lo Celso and Bentancur. Yves Bissouma was left out due to a warning, and Bentancur, who returned from a long injury, took his place. Bentancur entered the field amid applause from the home fans.

But soon bad luck came. In the 25th minute of the first half, when Tottenham was ahead thanks to Lo Celso’s first goal, Bentancur collapsed while trying to break through. Aston Villa’s Matthew Cash’s tackle was too deep. Bentancur, who complained of pain, returned to the game, but ended up lying on the ground again five minutes later.

Tottenham replaced Bentancur with Pierre-Emile-Hojbjerg. Bentancur limped as he left the stadium. As feared, Bentancur’s condition was not good. According to the results of the examination, the ankle ligaments were torn and he would not be able to compete for two months. This means that he will only be able to return in February next year.

Bentancur suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament last February and underwent surgery and spent about nine months in rehabilitation. He returned in October, but was back on the operating table a month later. In his first starting game this season, he collapsed again and hung his head. Tottenham’s plan to use Bentancur as the core of the midfield also went awry.

It is a hopeless situation for Tottenham, who are in the ‘injury ward’. James Maddison, who leads the attack, and central defender Mickey van der Pen, the core of the defense, are unlikely to return within the year due to injuries, and Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Manor Solomon, and Richarlison are also injured.

The bigger problem is how to get through January. Midfielders Yves Bissouma and Fape Sar will wear the national team uniform in line with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Nations Cup schedule. They will not be able to play club games for about a month. The card I was trying to use at this time was Bentancur, but the plan came to nothing.

Son Heung-min also has to complete the Asian Cup schedule at this time. Tottenham is bound to be in even more trouble as there are a series of injured players and key players have been called up to the national team and left out. If Tottenham does not make active moves in the winter transfer market, it will not be easy to survive the remainder of the season.