Ange Postecoglou has been handed some great news as one Tottenham Hotspur star is "now much closer" to a Spurs return.
Tottenham injury updates: Bentancur, Perisic, Johnson
Spurs have currently got a fair few players on the treatment table after various problems, with Alfie Whiteman, Ryan Sessegnon, Manor Solomon, Brennan Johnson, Ivan Perisic and Rodrigo Bentancur standing out among the names sidelined. Solomon suffered a knee injury in training and is expected to miss the next two-three months as a result, while Perisic might not be back until April/May after his "complex" ACL tear at Hotspur Way (Fabrizio Romano) – if he is indeed still at the club by then.
The Croatian has been linked with a January move to Hadjuk Split, according to various reports, while Johnson could return after the international break after he was left out of the Wales squad through injury.
That being said, both Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil are both fit and readily-available again after they both featured on the bench for Tottenham's 1-0 win away to Luton Town last Saturday.
Rodrigo Bentancur injury news
One player who's been out for quite a while is Bentancur. The Uruguay international suffered an ACL tear earlier this year, and as a result, he's yet to make his debut for Postecoglou's high-flying Spurs.
"The injury was at a time when I was very well, but the truth is that I do not change what happened for anything,” Bentancur said in June (ESPN via Sport Witness).
“I was missing a lot at the family level and everything that I am experiencing with my daughter and my girlfriend in these four months is priceless. That is also why my recovery time has passed so quickly and I am doing so well. It’s a long injury, one of the most difficult in football, but the truth is that I’m having such a good time with my family, I train the same every day, I do double shifts two or three times a week.
"I brought the club’s physiotherapist to Uruguay; we continue working and my knee is doing very well. I didn’t set a lap time, but I hope in two or three months to be at least gaining a few minutes again.”
Passing
Discipline
Blocking the ball
Ball interception
Tackling
The South American was a regular and star player under former boss Antonio Conte last season, and it will be interesting to see whether he'll fight his way back into contention. The in-form midfield partnership of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr is proving extremely fruitful right now, but journalist Pete O'Rourke has reported to Football Insider that Bentancur may well be back very soon to provide competition.
The journalist claims Bentancur is "now much closer" to a Tottenham return, expected to be back around mid-November. Indeed, the former Juventus star is "closing in on a return for Tottenham" and is in the "final stages" of his recovery – which will come as a great bit of news for Postecoglou.
