Rodrigo Bentancur set to return on New Year’s Day as Tottenham are handed a fitness boost

Antonio Conte has revealed Rodrigo Bentancur looks set to return for Tottenham in their New Year’s Day clash with Aston Villa after his injury scare at the World Cup.

Bentancur hobbled off in the first half of Uruguay’s final group game against Ghana, and there were fears that he could face an extended spell on the sidelines.

Conte has confirmed that it is not a serious issue, though, and he expects Bentancur to be available for selection at the start of 2023, while he has also stated that Ben Davies is ready to play again after his exploits with Wales.

Rodrigo Bentancur went off injured in Uruguay’s final group match at the Qatar World Cup

Antonio Conte expects Bentancur to be available for Tottenham when they play on January 1

‘Ben Davies is okay and started to work with us last week. He has recovered,’ Conte told Tottenham’s official website.

‘Rodrigo has started to work. I think that he’s going to be good for the game against Aston Villa.’

Tottenham fans are likely to be delighted that Bentancur’s injury is only a minor one as the 25-year-old has been an ever-present in the side’s midfield this season.

He was in excellent form just before the domestic season paused, scoring winning goals against Bournemouth and Leeds.

Conte is unsure when Richarlison will return after he picked up a hamstring injury in Qatar

He is now set to miss just one league game, with Spurs due to travel to Brentford on Boxing Day. 

Meanwhile, Tottenham are concerned that Richarlison could be out for six weeks due to a hamstring injury he picked up in Brazil’s quarter-final loss against Croatia.

However, Conte has claimed the club are still yet to find out the extent of the problem, and will only know how long he is out for after he undergoes an MRI scan on Wednesday.

‘Richy, tomorrow he’s going to have an MRI (scan) to know very well the importance of the injury,’ Conte added. ‘After tomorrow we will see very well the time he needs to recover.’