Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is a player that has everything and can play anywhere, at least according to Marcelo Bielsa.
The Uruguay manager has been praising the Tottenham star to the press after Uruguay’s 3-0 win over Bolivia on Tuesday.
The Tottenham man has quickly established himself as a key player under Bielsa despite not being fully fit at this moment in time as he battles back from a long-term injury.
That’s not stopped him from making his mark, though, with the midfielder managing a 28-minute cameo in the recent win over Argentina before adding 86 minutes in the aforementioned 3-0 win over Bolivia.
He looks set for a more significant role moving forwards and it seems he has a fan in Bielsa, who was keen to praise the 26-year-old after the game.
“He is a player that it is difficult to find an area of the midfield that he is not in a position to assume,” he said.
“There are not many players who defend like a holding midfielder, who attack and defend like an interior, like a number 8, like a mixed midfielder, and that when they reach the rival area he has the resources, the qualities of an offensive midfielder.
“It is a very special case within football in general. A player who in himself meets the conditions for all places on the field. Today he stood out clearly.”
The question is what role Bentancur now plays at Tottenham moving forward. Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma have formed a key partnership in midfield in his absence and it seems unlikely that Ange Postecoglou will break that up anytime soon.
With both players set to leave for the African Cup of Nations in January, though, the Spurs boss will need to find replacements and that could be Bentancur’s chance to stake his claim.
In the meantime, it seems he’s keen to prove a point and has done during this international break, where he’s very much impressed Bielsa.
