Rodrigo Bentancur ruled out for remainder of season with knee injury

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is expected to undergo surgery this week after suffering a knee injury which will end his season.

The Uruguay international managed just over an hour of the 4-1 defeat to Leicester City before collapsing in real pain following a nasty collision, but he did manage to walk off the pitch rather than leave on a stretcher.

“We can confirm that Rodrigo Bentancur has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will be out of action for the remainder of the campaign,” a Spurs statement read.

Bentancur is set for surgery to repair the damage to his knee and, although Tottenham do not want to put a time frame on his recovery, the focus is now on getting the 25-year-old ready for the start of the 2023/24 season.

As one of the team’s most influential players, it’s an enormous blow to Tottenham, who are already without fellow midfielder Yves Bissouma for what could be a period of around two months.

Spurs face AC Milan on Tuesday in the Champions League and will have to do so without the suspended Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, meaning manager Antonio Conte will have to get a little creative with his selection.

22-year-old Oliver Skipp and 20-year-old Pape Matar Sarr are the only available midfielders in Spurs’ senior squad and both can expect a significant boost in minutes over the coming months.