As the next ten games represent a make-or-break moment for Tottenham Hotspur's pursuit of the Premier League's top four, it will not be good news for the Spurs faithful to hear that one of their star players is currently representing his national team despite sustaining an injury.
Spurs' season plagued by injury crisis
If Spurs do fall short of Champions League football this term, it will likely leave fans wondering what could've been if so many of their stars had not fallen victim to injury.
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Whilst the last few weeks have seen key players James Maddison and Son Heung-min return from their respective knocks, there are a number of Spurs' important players still in the treatment room, with the second issue of the season for breakout star Micky van de Ven particularly frustrating.
Spurs' current injury list
Return Dates (via Premier Injuries)
Ryan Sessegnon
03/06/2024
Fraser Forster
27/04/2024
Micky van de Ven
30/03/2024
Manor Solomon
13/04/2024
With further injuries the last thing Ange Postecoglou needs, the news of a Spurs star continuing to represent his country despite suffering a knock could make for uncomfortable reading for the Australian.
Bentancur to play through broken toe for Uruguay
As first reported by Sport Witness, Rodrigo Bentancur has revealed that he has been playing with a fractured toe for the last few weeks after sustaining the injury in Spurs training.
Speaking to the media after Uruguay's 1-1 draw with the Basque national side over the weekend, the 26-year-old said: “I broke it two or three weeks ago, but I’m still playing the same. I broke my phalanx. I had to stop for three or four weeks for it to knit up, and it was impossible. It was before the game against Crystal Palace in training, but here I go, recovering. Once I warm up, I forget”.
Bentancur is expected to take part in his nation's second fixture of the international break despite the ongoing issue, a friendly against Ivory Coast in France on Tuesday evening.
Since arriving in North London in January 2022, Bentancur has struggled with injury, missing a number of crucial games during his time at Spurs. The worst of these issues saw the Uruguayan miss around eight months of action after the midfielder ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during Spurs' damaging 4-1 defeat to Leicester City back in February 2022.
The 26-year-old managed to return from this setback in October 2023, but only managed a four-game run in the Spurs side before suffering a torn ankle ligament during November's loss to Aston Villa. Missing much of the festive period, Bentancur returned to the team in the new year, but has struggled at times owing to his prolonged period on the sidelines.
Despite his issues, Bentancur is still a part of Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay side, with the midfielder set to play again on Tuesday night when they take on the Ivory Coast in a friendly match. With Bielsa's brand of 'murderball' well known to English fans from his time with Leeds United, it is unlikely that Bentancur will be able to take it easy during his next game.
With the Lilywhites involved in the close race for the top four, the last thing that the Spurs faithful would want to see would be one of their key players miss even more games due to injury.
