Gus Poyet on Bentancur: “Technical ability, commitment, confidence - I'm so impressed”

Gus Poyet is convinced we’ll see the best of Rodrigo Bentancur at Spurs.

Our former midfielder and Assistant Head Coach to Juande Ramos has been impressed - but not surprised - with how quickly Rodrigo has settled here after his January move from Juventus.

A box-to-box midfielder, renowned for his ability to win back possession, but also a graceful runner with an eye for a pass - as he showed for Harry Kane’s goal in our 2-0 win at Brighton - Rodrigo has formed an instant partnership with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the engine room and helped us to four wins on the trot and five in the last six to move back into fourth place in the Premier League.

He’s already made his mark at huge clubs - Boca Juniors in Argentina, Juve in Serie A - winning five league titles already and 49 caps for Uruguay, all at the age of 24.

Gus, who scored 23 goals for us in 98 appearances, 2001-2004, then helped us win the League Cup as assistant to Juande Ramos in 2008, blazed a trail for Uruguayan players in the Premier League. He was the second Uruguayan to play here, following Adrian Paz at Ipswich, and won the FA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and Super Cup at Chelsea before joining us. Since retiring in 2006, he’s managed the likes of Brighton, Sunderland, AEK Athens and Bordeaux, and is now manager of the Greek national team.

“For you all to understand, when he was 19, 20, Rodrigo was at Boca Juniors,” Gus told us after his first friendlies for Greece against Romania and Montenegro at the end of last month. “I watched him when I was at Real Betis (2016) and I wanted to take him. I asked, but he wasn’t able to go. So, I had him on my radar five or six years ago.

“Two things are important here. One, he didn’t want to be comfortable in Uruguay, and took a risk, crossing the river (Rio de la Plata) from Uruguay to join Boca Juniors (in Buenos Aires, Argentina). Two, as soon as he got into Juventus, his understanding of fitness and what he needed to improve... he went to another level.

“There was a moment when people didn’t know if he was going to play, and yet we saw this Juventus team and he was always in it - with every manager.

“He has the commitment, the technical ability, he understands the game. I’m so impressed with him, especially how he drives with the ball. He’s confident, he will get the ball and run metres with it. That’s something that we've lost in football because everyone wants to play two touches, positional, control and pass. He gets the ball, and he will drive with the ball.

“I’m pleased, as well, to see a Uruguayan in the Premier League. That’s nice for us. His caps are unbelievable, at 24. I got 30 in my whole career! Think now, at 24, he will be at the top of his game, experienced enough, but still young. The next couple of years are going to be amazing for him, and for Tottenham.”