Tottenham injury latest: Rodrigo Bentancur hamstring 'extent' revealed as Thomas Frank learns surgery decision

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly learned how long Rodrigo Bentancur will be sidelined for after the Uruguayan sustained a serious hamstring problem against Bournemouth.

Injury was added to insult for the Lilywhites during their 3-2 Premier League loss at the Vitality Stadium last week, as Bentancur was forcibly withdrawn on the 86-minute mark before Antoine Semenyo's late winner.

Spurs boss Thomas Frank admitted after the game that Bentancur's injury looked like a "bigger one", and the midfielder was unsurprisingly not involved in the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa.

Now, TyC Sports reports that the former Juventus man is set for at least three months on the sidelines, having suffered a ligament tear which will require an operation.

Bentancur is not expected to return to action until the latter stages of the season, and his hopes of representing Uruguay at the 2026 World Cup have also been plunged into jeopardy following the news.

Tottenham games Rodrigo Bentancur will miss with hamstring injury

Owing to their eliminations from the EFL Cup and FA Cup, Spurs are only competing on two fronts for the remainder of the season, but Bentancur will still miss a plethora of high-profile matches.

The Lilywhites conclude their Champions League league phase against Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt later this month, and they are on course to progress to the knockout rounds playoffs, sitting 11th in the league-phase table.

However, Bentancur would miss both legs of those ties in February, as well as any possible last-16 battles, and potentially the quarter-finals if he does not recover by mid-April.

As far as the Premier League is concerned, Bentancur will miss meetings with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Arsenal next month, in addition to Fulham, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool in March.

In total, Bentancur could be out for approximately 20 matches if he takes the full three months to recover, potentially putting him on course for a return against Brighton & Hove Albion on April 18.

Which injured Tottenham player will be the next to return?

Thanks to the presence of Archie Gray and Joao Palhinha - as well as Yves Bissouma's imminent Africa Cup of Nations return - Tottenham have enough options to cover for the stricken Bentancur in midfield.

However, the South American is now one of seven players in the Tottenham treatment room, a list that includes long-term absentees Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus and James Maddison, while Richarlison hurt his hamstring at the weekend too.

Lucas Bergvall was also absent from the Villa FA Cup loss with an unspecified issue, while Dominic Solanke's ankle concern is proving especially tricky to overcome, and he may not return for another few weeks.