Alasdair Gold has raised a concern over the fitness of Tottenham Hotspur regular Rodrigo Bentancur given how much he’s played this season.
Bentancur has started all but one game this season under Antonio Conte across all competitions and while this shows how important he is and what a top signing he was in January, he could soon become fatigued.
This is because of the intensity Conte’s system requires from all of his players, especially the wing-backs and central midfielders and given the options Spurs have in Bentancur’s position, there’s no reason why he can’t be handed a rest in the next few games.
Gold has claimed on his YouTube channel that could need to happen for the Uruguayan to ensure he stays fresh and fit in the long-term for Tottenham.
(24:55) “My worry is that Bentancur is exerting himself so much at the moment that if anyone’s going to pick up an injury, it is going to be him right now. And I think he’s become quite a crucial cog in the Spurs machine, he really has.”
Is Bentancur Spurs' most important player?
Yes!
No!
TIF Thoughts on Bentancur’s role at Spurs…
It’s pretty obvious how crucial Bentancur is to Conte and his Spurs side given he ranks third for touches, progressive passes and completed passes into the final third as well as topping the squad for tackles showing he’s influential all over the pitch.
Therefore, Conte will very likely be reluctant to rest him from the start at any given point as it could see Spurs struggle in the middle of the pitch, however, if Tottenham can race into a lead either this weekend or in the Champions League next week, that could then provide a chance for him to get a rest in the second half.
Bentancur is proving to be a very smart signing by Conte and Fabio Paratici costing the club just £21.5 million and the fact he’s already racked up 34 appearances shows how quickly he’s become integral to the club.