Rodrigo Bentancur injured in first Tottenham start in nine months after Matty Cash tackle

Rodrigo Bentancur was forced off in the first half for Tottenham against Aston Villa

Rodrigo Bentancur was forced off after half an hour against Aston Villa (REUTERS)

Rodrigo Bentancur was forced off following a poorly timed tackle from Aston Villa’s Matty Cash, in a fresh blow to Tottenham’s mounting injury concerns.

The Uruguayan sustained anterior cruciate ligament damage in February and was making his first start for Tottenham for nine months when he had to leave the field after just half an hour.

Cash caught Bentancur on the ankle with a miss-judged sliding challenge, creating a new problem for Tottenham to contend with amid an ongoing injury crisis.

It was an unnecessary challenge, but there was nothing in the impact to suggest it would be worth more than a yellow card or any immediate evidence of the damage caused to Bentancur.

Ahead of the match against Aston Villa, Spurs were without at least nine first-team players ruled out, not including Bentancur’s issue.

Tottenham already had an injury crisis before the latest setback (REUTERS)

Bentancur had made his first competitive start in nine months for Uruguay against Bolivia on Tuesday, but two matches within a week might have been too much for the midfielder.

Last season, Bentancur was one of the best players before the injury, but when he left the field hobbling he was replaced by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Yves Bissouma was also suspended for the Villa clash after sustaining his fifth yellow card of the campaign at Wolves, and manager Ange Postecoglou had been hopeful of Bentancur filling the gap.

Tottenham will already be without James Maddison and Micky van de Ven until the new year, with Christian Romero serving a suspension. Pape Matar Sarr was not fit enough to be included in the matchday squad, while Ashley Phillips is also out for a month with an issue.