Rodrigo Bentancur admits he ‘did not expect’ to leave Juventus for Tottenham Hotspur in January, but sees similarities between Max Allegri and Antonio Conte.
The Uruguay international made the transfer for €19m plus up to another €6m in bonuses, although he has already been ruled out for a couple of weeks by an injury.
Bentancur sat down with Sky Sport Italia for an interview in Italian, in which he was asked to compare working with coaches Conte and Allegri.
“There are similarities, as both of them have only victory in their minds,” said the 24-year-old.
“Conte, as we saw with his reaction when we beat Manchester City, Conte lives football in the most incredible way and he transmits that passion to his players. I am very happy to be here working with him.”
Having said that, he freely admits that Tottenham were not part of his plans.
“It all happened when I was on international duty, so I didn’t expect any of this. It was surprising, but I am happy to be here.”
Bentancur made the move along with his ex-Juventus teammate Dejan Kulusevski, so how has he found the switch to Premier League football?
“Without doubt there is a difference in the pace of the game and physicality, as the referees don’t blow the whistle very much, so you get to play more without interruptions.
“I am doing fairly well, but still have to do so much more. My objective is to improve day by day, give my best, help my teammates and take this side to the top four for Champions League qualification.”
.@SpursOfficial I Le parole di Rodrigo #Bentancur sull’inizio della sua esperienza in Inghilterra e su #Conte https://t.co/XPAAY0BJLp
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) February 25, 2022
He doesn’t know it but this was probably a good move for him. Playing in the EPL might speed up his game which was really his main negative. Holding on to the ball too long, etc… If he can speed his play up this guy could really take off.
Conte will make him more hungry and press more.