‘Gave me his trust from minute one’ – Bentancur opens up on Postecoglou support
Rodrigo Bentancur has admitted that Ange Postecoglou gave him his full support from the day he walked through the door at Hotspur Way in the summer. An ACL injury is often one of the worst things that can happen to footballers as not only does it take a long time to regain strength in the […]
The post ‘Gave me his trust from minute one’ – Bentancur opens up on Postecoglou support appeared first on Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.
Rodrigo Bentancur has admitted that Ange Postecoglou gave him his full support from the day he walked through the door at Hotspur Way in the summer.
An ACL injury is often one of the worst things that can happen to footballers as not only does it take a long time to regain strength in the muscle but being sidelined for the long haul can also be mentally challenging for players, who are used to being out on the training pitch.
The injury came at a time when Bentancur had become one of Tottenham’s most important players, with the midfielder admitting that he knew instantly at the King Power Stadium back in February that it was a serious issue.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 27: Tottenham Hotspur’s Rodrigo Bentancur and Son Heung-Min celebrate at the end of the match during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on October 27, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Bentancur told Spurs Play: “At the time I felt a ‘crack’. I felt something really painful and for a few minutes, I could barely walk. I remember after the game I spoke to the doctor, and I asked him to be honest with me and tell me what the injury looked like to him.
“He said that if I heard that noise then it’s likely to be the ACL. So I then had it in my head that it was going to be a long recovery. So then I prepared mentally for seven to eight months of recuperation.
“I think on the second or third day it was when it dawned on me how long I’d be out for. I was with my girlfriend, and I think that was the only day where I had to leave the room to go and cry.
“My family were there from minute one, then all the rest of the family in Uruguay who supported me from the beginning as soon as they found out about my injury.
“I tried to make the most of the time I had with my family and all the time that I spent with them I wouldn’t change for anything. I think this also helped to get through the recovery a lot more quickly.”
Bentancur opens up on his Tottenham rehabilitation
The former Juventus man revealed that his body responded well to the rehabilitation exercises and that he put in a lot of work to ensure that he recovers as soon as possible.
He said about the rehab process: “Throughout the eight months, I didn’t have serious problems or inflammations. My knee reacted well to all the work we did, every time we had to change direction or increase the weights.
“I’ve trained a lot. In the last three months, I’ve trained from Monday to Saturday here with the club. Then separately I’ve trained with my uncle every day in extra shifts. We’ve trained a lot to be able to get back in the shape I was before.
“So, as a minimum, I’d train 10-11 times a week. So in the last three months, I’ve done about 120 sessions. It felt good, but obviously, it’s not the same as being able to train with your teammates and play football.”
Bentnacur also revealed that Postecoglou wanted him to take his time to gradually build up his fitness and at no point did the Australian want to rush him back.
The 26-year-old added: “I remember I bumped into the manager by the stairs. He asked me how I was, how I was feeling, how the injury was.
“He gave me his trust from minute one, telling me to take it easy, to make sure that I came back fully fit and that there was no rush, and also to try to come back at the same level that I left because I was playing really well.
“Now it’s just about getting back up to speed gradually, and to try and get back to the levels that I was before. That’s the idea.”
Spurs Web Opinion
When players suffer ACL injuries, they can sometimes struggle to return to their previous levels as their bodies perhaps do not respond exactly how they want it to and there is an element of fear about turning quickly or sprinting at full capacity.
With Bentancur, it sounds like his body has responded quite well to every step of the way, which should hopefully mean that the midfielder does not have a mental block about pushing himself and returning to the level he showed prior to his injury.
Have something to tell us about this article?
The post ‘Gave me his trust from minute one’ – Bentancur opens up on Postecoglou support appeared first on Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.