Udinese boss Andrea Sottil has revealed that he is surprised on-loan Tottenham man Destiny Udogie has not made Italy’s squad for their upcoming Nations League fixtures.
On the back of his breakthrough season in 2021/22, Tottenham snapped up Udogie this summer for an initial £15.5m plus £6m in add-ons (Fabrizio Romano) before sending the youngster back to Udinese on a season-long loan.
The left wing-back has started the season in impressive form, having found the back of the net twice in his first six Serie A games (Transfermarkt).
On Sunday, the 19-year-old played 79 minutes in Udinese’s 3-1 home victory against Antonio Conte’s old side Inter Milan, a result which took the club to second place in the Serie A table.
Given his impressive form over the last 12 months, Udogie appears to be knocking on the door of Italy’s senior side but Roberto Mancini did not select the on-loan Tottenham man in the squad for the Azzurri’s upcoming Nations League clashes against England and Hungary.
When asked about the wing-back omissions from the Italy squad, Sottil told Football Italia: “I respect Mancini’s choices but I was still surprised. I think Udogie is one of the best full-backs in the League, he proves this all the time.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Given that Italy have not qualified for the World Cup in Qatar, one would have thought this would be the right moment for Mancini to start blooding youngsters like Udogie.
The teenager would certainly be disappointed not to make the cut but it is only a matter of time before he gets a call-up if he continues performing the way he has been over the last 12 months.
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