Tottenham miss Destiny Udogie massively as Gary Neville singles him out on Sky Sports
Tottenham defender Destiny Udogie has been at a “different level” this season, according to Gary Neville, speaking on Sky Sports (13 May).
The Italian was named at left-back in Neville’s Premier League Team of the Season, having enjoyed a strong debut year in English football.
However, a hamstring injury has robbed Spurs of his services as the season draws to a close, and the team’s form reflects how much they miss him.
‘Different level’ Tottenham defender Destiny Udogie
Udogie’s strong start to life in the English top flight has been characterised by his positivity on the ball.
He has recorded a respectable tally of two goals and three assists in the division – but his influence on Tottenham’s attack extends far beyond that.
Per 90 minutes in the Premier League, Udogie has averaged 2.45 carries into the final third and 5.83 progressive passes, constantly looking to move the ball into dangerous areas through dribbling or passing [FBref].
In spite of the ambitious nature of his passing, he has maintained a passing accuracy of 85.8 per cent, demonstrating his ability to retain the ball when necessary.
It is that forward-thinking presence that Tottenham have keenly missed, with back-up left-back Ben Davies failing to offer the same level of attacking threat before succumbing to injury himself and being replaced by right-back Emerson Royal or – as against Burnley – Oliver Skipp, who played a more inverted role.
Udogie has been busy defensively, too, averaging 6.36 ball recoveries per 90 in the Premier League this season. However, the 21-year-old does have room to improve his defending overall, winning less than half his attempted tackles and frequently finding himself booked – though the latter aspect has shown signs of progress, with no yellow cards since the turn of the year.
Overall, Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou will be very pleased with his young defender’s performance and will look forward to an even better season from the Italian in 2024/25.
In other Tottenham news, James Maddison will be “angry” with Postecoglou after recent developments in North London.
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