Tottenham Hotspur are enduring one of the most turbulent stretches of their season – and of their whole history, to be fair. A worrying domestic and continental situation are leaving the squad stretched thin.
In that context, the potential return of Rodrigo Bentancur has taken on even greater importance. The Uruguay international has been sidelined since January 8th, when he suffered a thigh injury that required surgery.
That means he still hasn’t made an appearance under Igor Tudor, who took charge a month ago. But he already worked with the Croatian at Juventus, in the 2020/21 season. Tudor was Andrea Pirlo’s assistant manager at the time.
Since then, Tottenham have had to navigate a difficult period without one of their most experienced midfielders. Now, however, there are encouraging signs regarding his recovery.
Bentancur ahead of schedule in recovery
Bentancur’s personal fitness coach, Daniel Fernández, has provided a detailed update on the midfielder’s situation.
According to Fernández, the recovery process has progressed faster than initially expected. He explained to Uruguayan radio 100% Deporte that the surgical wound healed well. Bentancur’s rehabilitation is currently around 15 days ahead of the original prognosis.
The Tottenham player has already returned to field-based work, an important step in the process. That stage allows the player to reintroduce football-specific movements. This comes after weeks focused mainly on rehabilitation and strength training.
Fernández also revealed that Bentancur is currently following an intense routine designed to accelerate his recovery while maintaining control over the workload.
The midfielder is completing three training sessions per day, focusing on muscular strengthening and progressive conditioning. The programme is being coordinated between Tottenham’s medical staff and the physiotherapist who has been involved since the surgery. In addition, external specialists are working on specific aspects of the recovery.
Even so, the coach stressed that gym work alone cannot replicate the demands of football.
Lifting weights or repeating physical exercises does not reproduce the intensity and unpredictability of match situations. For that reason, the gradual return to football activity is considered a key step in Bentancur’s rehabilitation.
Despite those limitations, the Tottenham midfielder has been able to tolerate higher physical loads than initially expected, which the team sees as a positive sign.
Club and country monitoring situation closely
According to Fernández, the Uruguayan national team also regularly receives medical reports, scans and updates to track Bentancur’s progress. He would be an important part of their World Cup squad.
At the same time, Tottenham are managing the process and remain in constant communication with the player and his recovery team. Spurs’ interest is obvious given the team’s current situation and the shortage of experienced first team options.
The expectation, based on the current timeline, is that Bentancur should be technically ready by the end of March.
However, returning to competitive matches is a different matter. Fernández believes the midfielder could realistically be available for first-team action towards the end of April. This is provided the recovery continues without setbacks.
Mental motivation also key
Fernández also highlighted the psychological aspect of the recovery process. He explained that earlier in his career, most training focused heavily on the body. However, modern preparation increasingly recognises the role of the mind.
According to him, the brain acts as the “conductor of the orchestra” in his performance. Having clear goals is therefore crucial during long rehabilitation periods.
For Bentancur, one of those goals is the possibility of playing in his third World Cup with Uruguay, an achievement only a limited number of players manage. Continuing to compete at the highest level in the Premier League is another strong source of motivation.
Because of that, while both Tottenham and the player naturally want a quick return, the priority remains avoiding any relapse.
The aim is to ensure Bentancur comes back fully fit and capable of helping Spurs during a decisive stretch of the season.