‘Tottenham have Real Madrid-level star who is not meeting expectations’
Rodrigo Bentancur has been criticised for his performances after renewing his contract with Tottenham.
Tottenham extended Bentancur’s contract earlier this season as his previous deal was set to expire in June 2026.
While the Uruguay international struggled with fitness last season, he played an important role in Spurs’ UEFA Europa League campaign.
However, the midfielder has not been up to standard over the past couple of months.
Rodrigo Bentancur hasn’t been the same since his ACL injury
Bentancur suffered an ACL injury in February 2023, five months after he’d arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a full-time basis following a successful loan stint in the previous campaign.
Since returning from that setback, Bentancur has had stop-start moments, with injuries and a seven-game suspension stifling his momentum.
- Bentancur was sidelined for 255 days during his ACL recovery
- He has spent 59 days away from action since the injury
While his fitness has improved, Tottenham expert and Lilywhite Rose owner John Wenham has pointed out that Bentancur has yet to return to pre-injury levels.
“The frustration with Bentancur is that when we signed him, he was a Real Madrid-level player,” Wenham exclusively told Tottenham News.
“He was unbelievable under Antonio Conte, then he had that really bad injury that ruled him out for a whole year, and we’ve only seen glimpses of the old player since that injury.
“I feel like he’s always missing games for all sorts of nonsense reasons, concussions or other injuries, there’s always something. All this kind of stuff, like every reason he can’t play, seems to keep happening.
“And I find it frustrating because I’ve seen a player in there that can be unbelievable, can be really good. I don’t see him coming out of the team anytime soon because Thomas Frank has made the decision to renew his contract and extend his time at the club.
“He’s obviously a player Frank likes, and we can see that from the number of times he’s selected. But I think more and more we’ll see his game time rotated with Joao Palhinha because I think we’re going to have a change of system now.”
- Read more: Thomas Bramall sent congratulations amid delight at Bentancur punishment in Tottenham draw
Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur partnership is no more
Frank was greatly criticised for the Palhinha and Bentancur partnership at the beginning of the season.
While there were some benefits against attacking sides, the duo proved too defensive-minded to provide adequate ball progression and attacking plays.
As a result, the two have been starting fewer Premier League games as a partnership.
In fact, Palhinha was named on the bench for Tottenham against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Tuesday, and was an unused substitute in the 2-2 draw.
The duo have started together once in the past five games, with their latest being Spurs’ humiliating 4-1 defeat to rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
It remains to be seen whether putting the duo on hold was the right choice. But given Tottenham’s attacking woes, it’s a decision that makes sense for now.
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