Ange Postecoglou says he’s been very impressed with £21.5m Tottenham player in training.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is getting his side ready for their Premier League opener.
Spurs don’t start their new campaign until Monday night. They have a bit more time to prepare than their rivals, and Postecoglou is making full use of it.
Tottenham’s players are all working hard at Hotspur Way as they aim to finish higher than they did in the Premier League in the 2023/24 season.
One player’s performances seem to have impressed Postecoglou a lot.
Ange Postecoglou praises Rodrigo Bentancur’s performances in training
Tottenham signed Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus in the summer of 2022 in a £21.5 million deal (Sky Sports).
The Uruguayan had a great start to life at Spurs. He became a fan favourite at the club and produced a number of brilliant performances under Antonio Conte.
However, in February 2023, Bentancur suffered a very serious knee injury that kept him out of action for about eight months.
Just a few weeks after returning from that injury, Bentancur suffered an ankle issue that sidelined him for a month.
The former Juventus man played regularly for Spurs following his return from his ankle injury, but you could tell that the long layoff affected him.
Now, Postecoglou has revealed that Bentancur is in a much better place, and it looks like the Spurs boss has been impressed with him in training too.
He said in his press conference, as per Football London: “Yeah, Rodri last year was very much, a bit like our season, it was very much stop-start at times.
“At times he looked really good, got some rhythm and then something would happen whether it was an injury or another disruption. For him and the other guys, he went away with Uruguay and got game time there.
“In terms of his mindset, he is in a much better place of knowing that from an injury perspective, he is free of that. He is 12 months down the track after a significant injury, which always takes a bit of time and it’s been great to have him back part of the group.
“He came on in the second half last week and I thought he looked really good, has looked good in training, so hopefully that is where some of our improvement comes from.”
Bentancur could suddenly have a big role to play at Tottenham
For the most part, Postecoglou has preferred a midfield trio of Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma and James Maddison at Tottenham.
All three players have done well in pre-season, but there is a problem with one of them now.
Bissouma has been suspended for Monday’s Premier League opener game due to a disciplinary issue, and that opens the door for another player to come into the team.
Archie Gray is definitely an option there, but Bentancur’s experience could get him the nod against Leicester City on Monday night.
If the Uruguayan plays and has a good game, he could become a regular starter again.
