Just shy of 10 minutes into the cup fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Bentancur attempted to flick on an out swinging corner from the right but went down off the ball without coming into contact with neither a teammate nor an opponent.
Players from both sides, with Pedro Porrofirst to his side, were on hand to alert referee Stuart Attwell – and the pitch-side medics – to the situation and the match was stopped in order for the Uruguayan to receive the necessary medical attention.
As he led on the turf, Bentancur was given oxygen by the medics before eventually being put into a seated position. Following a lengthy hiatus in play, the Uruguayan was taken off via a stretcher to a roaring applause from all corners of the north London-based ground.
The 27-year-old was, as a result, replaced by winger Brennan Johnson in the 15th minute and the club have since given an update on his wellbeing by informing fans that he is conscious and talking but will be taken to hospital to undergo further checks.
“We can confirm Rodrigo is conscious, talking and will go to hospital for further checks.”
On Sky Sports’ coverage of the affair, commentator Alan Smith said: “There’s a lot of concern there. Bentancur went for the diving header; nobody challenged him I don’t think. I think he just fell awkwardly.”
Tottenham, announcing that Bentancur was being replaced by Johnson on their X (formerly Twitter) account, sent the central midfielder their best wishes by saying: “We’re all with you, Lolo.”
Bentancur, a 67-cap Uruguay international, was featuring in just his third match for Tottenham since returning from a seven-game ban, which was issued after he used discriminatory comments against those native to South Koreawhen talking about his teammate Son Heung-min in the summer.
