Tottenham Hotspur have hit the ground running under Ange Postecoglou this season, making up for lost time when it comes to entertaining the fans in North London.
When the Lilywhites lost Harry Kane to Bayern Munich during the summer transfer window, it was difficult to know what to expect from them. One thing that is certain is that not many believed that they'd be unbeaten after four games, with one of those games being a relatively routine victory over Manchester United.
The positivity just keeps coming for Postecoglou and for Spurs, with Cristian Romero failing to hide his delight after hearing the latest fitness update on another star at the club.
What has Cristian Romero said?
Spurs' form looks even better when you realise the amount of injury problems that Postecoglou has already had to contend with this season. As things stand, the former Celtic boss is without Bryan Gil, Ryan Sessegnon, Giovani Lo Celso, Alfie Whiteman, and Rodrigo Bentancur as the international break comes to an end.
There has at least been good news when it comes to Bentancur's progress, however, after the midfielder took to Instagram to post a training picture alongside a number of his Spurs teammates, captioning the post with hour glass emojis. Both Romero and Lo Celso reacted in delight to the news, which you can see here, with the former calling his teammate a "bull".
Bentancur, of course, has been out with an ACL injury since February, but is now edging closer and closer to a return, in what will be a major boost for Spurs. It may take a while for the Uruguay international to get going following such a long spell on the sidelines, but once he is back to his best, Postecoglou may just have the final piece to his side, as he looks to guide them back into the Premier League's top four at the first time of asking.
How did Rodrigo Bentancur last season?
Prior to his season-ending injury last season, Bentancur was one of the standout players at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. His injury completely derailed his side's form, who went from top four contenders to finishing the season without qualifying for any European football at all, let alone a place among Europe's elite.
Statistically speaking, it's clear that the midfielder should improve Spurs even more when he returns. According to FBref, he is in the top 80 percentile for progressive carries per 90, with 2.06, the top 81 percentile for successful take-ons per 90, completing 1.29, and the top 76 percentile for tackles per 90, making 2.51.
At his best, pundits and former players have had nothing but positive things to say about Bentancur, including Glen Hoddle, who told BT Sport, via HITC, after the midfielder's display against Marseille: "Bentancur has absolutely run himself ragged this second-half. He’s chased everything, he’s pressed everything, he’s been good on the ball. He’s the one really, the talisman that’s turned this performance from Tottenham around."
With that said, Spurs fans will certainly be looking forward to Bentancur's return in the coming week, as will Postecoglou, who will be getting yet another boost.