The Italian media were not impressed with what they saw from Destiny Udogie against Germany on Friday, with many questioning if the Tottenham man offers enough to justify his place in the side.
Udogie impressed everyone with the way he exploded onto the scene following his switch to the Premier League back in 2023, but the left-back has not looked the same since his lengthy injury layoff last summer.
The 22-year-old has struggled for consistency this side as a part of a leaky Tottenham defence, and there are even question marks over whether he is in the club’s strongest eleven anymore.
Djed Spence has been one of Spurs’ most consistent performers this season and most of his displays have come at left-back, thus handing the Italian a big challenge to reclaim his spot in the XI.
Udogie criticised for his performance against Germany
Destiny Udogie started for the Azzurri in the first leg of their Nations League quarterfinal against Germany, and the Tottenham Hotspur man had an outing to forget.
The home side took the lead through Sando Tonali but Germany hit back with two goals from Tim Kleindienst and Leon Gortezka, thus ensuring that they take an advantage into the second leg at the Westfalenstadion.
Udogie came under criticism for his display, with many outlets claiming that he did not do enough to justify starting over Inter Milan’s Federico Dimarco at left wing-back.
CalcioMercato wrote about Udogie: “He covers the flank less diligently than Politano, and Spalletti often calls him back. He wasn’t having a great evening but he came close to scoring the 2-1 with a header.
FC Inter 1908 added: “Udogie does little to avoid regrets over the absence of Federico Dimarco. The gap between him and the Inter wing-back is clear, especially in this type of system.”
Corriere della Serra said: “Replacing Dimarco is not easy, but Udogie is a bit shy in pushing and is not always reactive in coverage.”
