Newcastle United’s rivals receive major injury blow as Tottenham Hotspur man ruled-out for rest of season

A 4-1 defeat to Leicester City at the weekend has been compounded by the news that Rodrigo Bentancur has been ruled-out of action until the end of the season. Spurs have confirmed that the 25-year-old ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during their defeat to the Foxes.

Bentancur suffered the injury after 65 minutes of their game at the King Power Stadium and he will not return to action for the remainder of the campaign. The Uruguayan joined Spurs from Juventus in January 2021 and has made 44 appearances in all-competitions under Antonio Conte in north London.

Bentancur joins Hugo Lloris and Yves Bissouma on the injury table at Spurs. Lloris has been ruled-out of action for a couple of months whilst no timeframe has been set on Bissouma’s recovery with the midfielder undergoing surgery on a stress fracture to his ankle.

Spurs, who now have Champions League knockout stages to contend with alongside their domestic schedule, sit two points behind Newcastle United in the league, having played a game more than Eddie Howe’s side. The pair are set to face each other at St James’s Park at the end of April in what could be a crucial meeting in the race for the top-four.

Newcastle meanwhile, are sweating on the fitness of Allan Saint-Maximin, Miguel Almiron and Joe Willock after the trio all suffered injuries during their 1-1 draw with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday evening.