Premier League icon Robbie Savage has big fears for Tottenham winger David Bentley.

Bentley has seen a loan deal at West Ham United torn up after suffering a serious injury.

Savage wrote in the Mirror: "I really fear for my mate David Bentley after hearing about the knee surgery which has ruled him out for another six months. It seems like only yesterday that he was being hailed as the new David Beckham after scoring a sensational hat-trick for Blackburn as we beat Manchester United 4-3 at Ewood.

"That helped earn Bents his big move to Spurs and he deserved it. Contrary to how he can sometimes come over, he's not cocky or flash. Just a genuine, down-to-earth guy who is a deep thinker about football.

"The good news for David is that his game never relied on pace, so he doesn't need to worry about losing it in the op. But this is a huge mental test for him.

"I have retired knowing that I made the absolute maximum of my ability. You can't yet say that of David, as he faded out at Spurs and then drifted around on loan to Birmingham and West Ham.

"It would be a criminal waste if a player with so much natural talent was remembered as a nearly man. And just awful if Bents spent the rest of his life thinking "I used to be the new David Beckham. What happened?""