Tottenham deliver update on Rodrigo Bentancur after he suffers nasty injury during Spurs’ Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Liverpool… with star given on-pitch treatment for NINE minutes before being taken off on a stretcher
Tottenham have delivered an update on Rodrigo Bentancur after the Spurs star was taken off on a stretcher in the opening stages of Tottenham’s Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Liverpool on Wednesday.
The Uruguayan, who has just returned from a ban, started in midfield for the game, though his night lasted just a few minutes before he hit the deck during a worrying moment at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham started brightly in the game, and were setting up for an attacking corner with Bentancur in the box alongside a number of his other team-mates.
He dived to head Pedro Porro’s corner, but appeared to land awkwardly, laying unmoved on the pitch as play continued, with Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson forced into action.
It was then clear, though, that Bentancur would require immediate medical attention, and medics soon rushed over as players urged them to hurry and tried to attend to Bentancur.
The 27-year-old received treatment on the field for nine minutes in total as he left the field on a stretcher to the applause of both sets of fans.
WARNING: Distressing images
Rodrigo Bentancur appeared to suffer a serious injury early on in Tottenham’s clash with Liverpool in the Carabao Cup
The midfielder appeared to fall unconscious as medics rushed onto the field to attend to him
He received an oxygen mask and was down for nine minutes receiving treatment before leaving the field
Spurs posted an update to social media at half time, revealing that Bentancur was being taken to hospital for further medical assessment.
‘We can confirm Rodrigo is conscious, talking and will go to hospital for further checks,’ the north London club posted on X.
Liverpool responded by showing support to Tottenham and the Uruguayan, posting: ‘We’re all thinking of you, Rodrigo. Speedy recovery.’
Bentancur had missed seven games of domestic action before returning against Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day. He continued to play in the Europa League.
He was handed the ban for a racist remark about Spurs team-mate and captain Son Heung-min, which he apologised for.
Tottenham appealed the decision, with the player also fined £100,000, but that was rejected and they had to make do without him for seven matches. He also recently served a Premier League suspension for yellow card accumulation.
He now, however, appears set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines again following the incident on Wednesday. It has not been made clear what the issue was.
‘We’re all with you, Lolo,’ Spurs’ official X account posted.
He had dived to head a corner, taken by Pedro Porro, and collapsed instantly, laying motionless
Footage showed how he had dived from an awkward angle to head the ball before hitting deck
A blanker was placed over him and he received a round of applause from both sets of fans
Team-mates had attended to him before medics rushed onto the field to provide treatment
The midfielder was pictured with his eyes open – no update has been given on his condition
He left the field with 15 minutes on the clock, having initially gone down after six minutes. The substitution was not a concussion substitute – and he put his thumb up as he was taken off.
The midfielder also had a blanket placed over him and was wearing an oxygen mask, though was pictured with his eyes open.
He also put his thumb up as he was stretchered off, with Ange Postecoglou checking on him.
If he misses more matches, it adds to Tottenham’s current injury crisis, which has seen a number of first team players miss game time.
First-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has been out of action since the end of November after undergoing ankle surgery, while Spurs have also been torn apart defensively.
They are currently without first-choice centre backs Sergio Romero and Micky van De Ven, while back-up option Ben Davies is also missing.
Left back Destiny Udogie, meanwhile, is expected to be out until February with a hamstring issue.
