Rodrigo Bentancur could be Roberto De Zerbi’s number one midfielder at Tottenham Hotspur due to the positions he takes up on the pitch.
The Uruguayan is currently out injured for the Lilywhites, but upon his return, he will fancy his chances.
With a new manager at the helm, each and every one of Spurs’ squad will have to impress the Italian, particularly with relegation on the line.
However, Bentancur certainly holds an advantage over everyone else at the North London club.
Ahead of Bentancur’s return from injury, he may end up slotting seamlessly into De Zerbi’s methods.
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Why Rodrigo Bentancur will be key for Roberto De Zerbi
Bentancur is currently scheduled to return sometime in April after undergoing surgery on a hamstring tear back in January.
Ahead of the Premier League run-in, that will be a welcome boost for De Zerbi, with the midfielder comparable to his options at Brighton during his final season.
However, that is not the only similarity that the 28-year-old holds with De Zerbi’s typical midfield profile.
Throughout much of the season, the heatmaps of the current midfield options at Spurs showcase a scatter map of their positioning.
They come centrally but also drift wide on plenty of occasions. That is everyone other than Bentancur.
As seen by the heatmap via Sofascore below, the Uruguayan often stays central, with large patches of red and orange in those areas.
Now, below, the heatmap of Carlos Baleba for Brighton in the 2023-2024 season looks eerily similar to Bentancur’s from this campaign.
One issue could arise from the Uruguayan’s 85 per cent passing accuracy, with De Zerbi having both Gilmour and Baleba maintaining a 92 per cent average in 2023-2024.
If Bentancur cannot match this level of precision, then it could cause issues in build-up, but one thing is certain: he already plays in the spaces De Zerbi will expect from him.
However, his superior ground duel success of 59.6 per cent could offset that deficiency, especially with De Zerbi told to compromise on his principles.
What is the latest on Rodrigo Bentancur’s return?
The last official update about Bentancur came from Igor Tudor, who stated that the midfielder was “progressing well”.
Before the international break, the 27-year-old had started to train with the ball again, so a return is just around the corner, barring any setback.
De Zerbi will certainly welcome the comeback of any of Tottenham’s injury worries right now.