Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season after suffering a suspected cruciate ligament injury in Saturday's Premier League defeat to Leicester City.
Bentancur opened the scoring at the King Power Stadium and was Spurs' standout player in a miserable 4-1 defeat for Antonio Conte's side, but the Uruguay midfielder was forced off with an injury after 65 minutes.
Initial reports seemed to suggest that the problem would not be too serious, but Fabrizio Romano has reported in The Guardian that the former Juventus player will be out for six to seven months with cruciate ligament damage.
Since his arrival at Spurs last January, Bentancur has been one of the club's most consistent performers and he will be a big miss at the business end of the season.
Tottenham face AC Milan in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday night and are already without Yves Bissouma, who needed surgery to repair a stress fracture on his left ankle.
That means Conte will have to decide between Oliver Skipp and Pape Mate Sarr in midfield alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at San Siro.
Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is also out for around six to seven weeks with a knee injury and Spurs have considered bringing in a replacement on a short-term deal.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
