Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a major blow to their chances of achieving success in the 2022/23 campaign, as Rodrigo Bentancur has been ruled out until the end of the season.
The Uruguayan midfielder suffered a body blow in the 4-1 defeat to Leicester in the Premier League on Saturday, and it has now been confirmed that the dynamo is set for a significant spell on the sidelines.
The club’s official account tweeted: “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. He will undergo surgery before beginning his rehabilitation with our medical staff.”
Only Harry Kane (7.39) has averaged a higher Sofascore rating than the former Juventus man (7.21) in the Premier League for Tottenham this season, which illustrates how important the 25-year-old has been to Antonio Conte’s team.
With Yves Bissouma also out injured after ankle surgery, the 53-year-old must find a regular partner for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the middle of the park for the coming months.
Who should replace Rodrigo Bentancur for Tottenham?
Conte could find his Bentancur replacement in the form of Spurs academy graduate Oliver Skipp, whose chances have been few and far between during the current campaign.
The £40k-per-week midfielder has only started three Premier League matches this season, after starting 14 in 2021/22, but he has the potential to be a combative warrior alongside the Denmark international.
During his time on loan at Norwich, his former manager Daniel Farke heaped praise on the youngster, saying: “Oliver is a perfect lad. So humble. He is a brilliant loan signing.
“A fantastic lad. He reminds me a little of Max Aarons in his first season, who also delivered with unbelievable consistency, with no mistakes, never injured, never ill.”
In that spell with the Canaries, Skipp played 45 Championship games and made 150 tackles and interceptions combined, along with a total of 57 blocks.
This means that the England under-21 international made 4.6 defensive actions per game for Norwich, which shows that he was putting himself in excellent positions to win back possession, or at least hamper opposition attacks.
Meanwhile, Bentancur has made 93 tackles, interceptions and blocks combined in the Premier League this season in 18 appearances, averaging 5.2 per outing.
These statistics indicate that Skipp has the potential to deliver a similar volume of defensive actions per game if Conte, who once hailed the talent’s “great passion”, can get him playing to the peak of his ability in the middle of the park.
Therefore, the Italian must unleash the 22-year-old in response to the Uruguay international’s injury, and then it will be up to the youngster to grasp his opportunity.