'Bentancur is determined to crack on and get back as quickly as possible'

Ange Postecoglou says Rodrigo Bentancur "knows that he hasn’t lost anything as a footballer" which is helping him remain positive after his latest set back.

The Uruguayan was making his first Spurs start since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in February, when he was withdrawn in the first half of last weekend's defeat by Aston Villa.

He is now expected to be ruled out for at least two months.

"The biggest emotion you have is for him," said Postecoglou. "I’ve only been here six months but in that six months you see how hard they work to get back, particularly him.

"A lot of it is a fairly lonely journey because you do your rehab on your own. From the first day I arrived he was determined to get back and he had his own timelines in his head.

"He kept banging on my door about being involved and I held back because with such a significant injury you want to make sure they are ready. He had done everything right, had a good international break and started the game [against Villa] so well. With all that context you are gutted for him because of the person he is and what he has gone through.

"That’s unfortunately the challenges football sometimes throws up at you. He is still such a positive guy and I caught up with him yesterday. He is determined to crack on and get back as quickly as possible. I cant wait to get him back in because you saw his quality."

On how the club can help Bentancur through his rehab, Postecoglou said: "It's about the whole club. He spends a lot of time with the medical team and they have been really good with him.

"It starts with the player himself. Like I said yesterday, talking to him he's such a positive guy. If it was me I'd be a hell of a lot grumpier around the place. But he knows he has been through a tough time and has to go through another shorter tough time.

"He also knows that he hasn’t lost anything as a footballer and that’s the important thing. That has given him the incentive to get back as quickly as possible and make an impact for us."

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