Ange Postecoglou told he’s got to start £19m Tottenham player now James Maddison is injured

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has been told he simply has to start Rodrigo Bentancur now James Maddison is injured

Speaking on the ESPN FC Podcast, Craig Burley believes Bentancur would give Tottenham’s midfield greater inventiveness.

The Uruguayan had an ACL injury in February and was out for a while before making a comeback.

Bentancur has started just one game since taking over for new manager Ange Postecoglou, despite making three substitute appearances recently.

Tottenham’s consecutive league losses to Chelsea and Wolves last week gave them a hellish six days. But while he tries to lead the team through a challenging time, Postecoglou won’t be overly concerned with the outcome.

In fact, James Maddison and Micky van de Ven were substituted during the Chelsea loss, and it appears they will be sidelined till the new year.

After receiving red cards against Chelsea, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were both unable to participate in the loss against Wolves.

Yves Bissouma, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Pape Matar Sarr made up Spurs’ midfield three against Wolves, but they lacked that inventive spark.

Furthermore, according to Craig Burley, Bentancur has to enter the game to pose a greater danger in the closing minutes.

Postecoglou told to start Bentancur now Maddison is injured

Speaking on ESPN FC, Burley made the case for Bentancur taking up Maddison’s role in the side.

“I think if you’re looking for a bit more creativity, you’re certainly looking at Bentancur,” the pundit said. “Maybe it was a fitness issue because he’s been out a while. He did get some game time in that London Derby.”

“Postecoglou himself said it about the possession they had, they were too conservative,” he said. He was not fond of it. Someone inquired about Maddison. “Look, it’s the way it is; we’re missing him,” he added.

“Perhaps he should examine his team composition and selection process – how he can overcome the shortcomings of not having Madison and include other players in the game.”

Bentancur scored a couple goals before suffering an injury last season, demonstrating his ability to be a threat in the closing third for Spurs.

The midfield player, who cost £19 million when he joined Spurs in January 2021, has excelled under Antonio Conte.

Postecoglou, though, will exercise caution before pushing the 26-year-old back too quickly following such an extended period of time out.

Bentancur isn’t particularly known for his defense-splitting passes, despite his numerous excellent qualities.

The Uruguayan international, in our opinion, is more suited for Postecoglou’s team’s box-to-box position, while Giovani Lo Celso appears to be Maddison’s obvious successor.