Tottenham star Rodrigo Bentancur back to his best in first start since return from injury
It will be difficult for Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou not to start Rodrigo Bentancur against Aston Villa after the midfielder’s most recent performance for Uruguay.
Bentancur made his first start since returning from an ACL injury, which kept him out of action for the better part of eight months, during Uruguay’s 3-0 win against Bolivia in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday 21 November.
For many players, an injury as serious as Bentancur’s would break them and perhaps prevent them from ever returning to their best.
However, the Tottenham man’s display on Tuesday proved that is not the case in his situation.
It was a confident performance during which he hit some of his heights from last season and showcased that he is well and truly on the right path to making a full recovery.
Although the level of opposition could perhaps be considered slightly more favourable than what he will be coming up against in the Premier League, considering it was his first start, he might have still found life difficult, regardless of the opponent. Instead, it looked as if he had never been out of action, as he bossed the midfield during a confident win for his nation.
As per Sofascore, Bentancur was awarded an 8.0 match rating, the highest out of the three Uruguay midfielders on the evening, and the joint-second highest rating among the entire team.
Last season the Spurs ace became a hit in north London due to his composed nature on the ball coupled with his strong defensive capabilities. As per fbref, he was among the top 14 per cent of Premier League midfielders last season for the number of tackles he won (1.68 per 90) and the top six per cent for the number of tackles he won in the attacking third (0.54 per 90).
Against Bolivia, he was back to his best defensively, making three interceptions, and two tackles, while winning five of his seven ground duels and three of his four aerial duels.
Bentancur averaged a pass completion rate of 83.9 per cent per 90 in England’s top flight last season and showcased he hasn’t lost a step when it comes to his passing, completing 92 per cent of his passes against Bolivia, with one of those being key.
His two completed dribbles from two as well as the one big chance he created showcased that he can still influence play going forward, something which Postecoglou will be particularly impressed by.
International breaks are usually a time when club supporters hold their breaths anxiously and keep their fingers crossed that none of their players pick up any injuries, and considering the vulnerable nature of Bentancur at this moment in time, Tottenham supporters would have been crossing those fingers a little tighter in his case.
Nonetheless, the 26-year-old has come through the break unscathed, and if anything, it has been a boost for the midfielder’s confidence to get some minutes in his legs again.
Following on from his performance against Bolivia and more importantly the feeling of starting a football match for the first time in almost a year, Bentancur could certainly be in line to make his first Tottenham start since 11 February against Aston Villa this Sunday.
In other Tottenham news, another player could hand the club a boost by returning to the team against Villa on Sunday.