Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been ruled out for at least 10 weeks with ankle ligament damage.

The Uruguayan, 26, made his first start since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury in Spurs' 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday.

But the playmaker was forced off in the first half after a foul by Villa right-back Matty Cash.

The setback will no doubt come as a huge blow to Bentancur, who missed nearly eight months with his previous issue — and multiple sources say he is now expected to be out until February.

Cash's strong challenge inside the hosts' half, which he was given a yellow card for, sparked outrage from a number of Spurs players due to Bentancur's long previous lay-off.

The injury further depletes Ange Postecoglou's Spurs squad, with the former Juventus ace joining the likes of James Maddison, Mickey van de Ven, Richarlison and Pape Matar Sarr on the treatment table.

The Australian boss started with an unorthodox midfield trio of Bentancur, Giovani Lo Celso and Dejan Kulusevski against Villa and will be forced to shuffle his pack further at Manchester City on Sunday.

He will welcome back Yves Bissouma to his engine room at the Etihad, though Cristian Romeo remains absent from defence after his straight red card against Chelsea. 

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg replaced Bentancur during the clash against Villa and is another who could come in to face the Treble winners.

Bentancur had been a key player for Spurs prior to his injury problems, making 48 appearances after arriving from Serie A in January 2022.

Tottenham are looking to arrest a slump in form that has seen them lose their last three games, dropping from first to fifth.