The Tottenham Hotspur side that take to the field in the first match of the 2023/24 season could look nothing like the one that ended the 2022/23 campaign.
Though the majority of players are likely to remain the same, there will be some new additions, and of course, there’s a new manager in charge in Ange Postecoglou.
How well he gets his players singing his tune in pre-season will dictate just how well they start their Premier League campaign under the Australian.
Postecoglou has certainly been talking a good game, and he has had success in whichever league he’s managed, so Spurs fans would do well to allow him to settle into the role before passing judgement.
One player he won’t be able to count on for the time being is Rodrigo Bentancur.
The Uruguayan was playing well before his season was cruelly ended when he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the match against Leicester in February.
It wasn’t clear how long the player would be out for, and it’s not an injury that sees players rushing back.
However, Bentancur himself has provided an encouraging update and one which should please everyone connected with the north Londoners.
“The injury was at a time when I was very well, but the truth is that I do not change what happened for anything,” he said to Telemundo, h/t ESPN.
“I was missing a lot at the family level and everything that I am experiencing with my daughter and my girlfriend in these four months is priceless. That is also why my recovery time has passed so quickly and I am doing so well.
“It’s a long injury, one of the most difficult in football, but the truth is that I’m having such a good time with my family. I train the same every day, I do double shifts two or three times a week.
“I brought the club’s physiotherapist to Uruguay. We continue working and my knee is doing very well. I didn’t set a lap time, but I hope in two or three months to be at least gaining a few minutes again.”
For Postecoglou, it will feel like getting a new signing, and if the team are already playing well, the transition back will be that much easier for Bentancur.