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Thomas Frank was mightily impressed with one Tottenham Hotspur star who made his first start of the season against Brighton.
While the Tottenham Hotspur boss has mixed and matched in midfield and in attack over the last few games, he has stuck with the same defensive line.
That changed against Brighton, with Destiny Udogie coming into the starting eleven in place of Djed Spence at left-back.
The Italian served everyone a reminder of the qualities he possesses, getting up and down the pitch all game, being solid in defence, and menacing going forward.
Thomas Frank says Destiny Udogie was ‘unstoppable’ for Tottenham against Brighton
Spence has been extremely consistent for Tottenham at left-back this season, but Udogie showed against the Segaulls what he can offer, particularly with the advantage of being left-footed.
Frank was mightily impressed with how the Italy international performed, describing him as ‘unstoppable’ going forward.
When asked what he made of Udogie’s return to the starting line-up, the Dane responded (via Football.London): “Exceptional. He was exceptional today. He was unstoppable, almost, going forward. And I think also it was a bit unfortunate.
“It was Wilson who had to track him on the situation, because it was a little bit of a high-pressure situation, the Brighton wonder goal. But he just completely took him out going forward. Very good, just top.”
Frank reveals why he waited so long to give Udogie his first start
Udogie had been nursing an injury in pre-season, and in the meantime, Spence had made the left-back spot his own.
Frank admitted that he has a good problem on his hands with the competition for places at full-back, explaining that Spence’s form meant that he had no reason to rush Udogie back.
When asked if he had been waiting for the former Udinese man to get up to speed physically, the 51-year-old responded: “Yeah, but I must admit, I’ve got three extremely good full-backs. I think Djed’s been fantastic for us. So when another player is doing so well, then there’s no reason to throw Destiny in too early. And I’m pretty sure we need all three throughout the season. That is crucial.
“We are playing, hopefully, around 60 games this season. That’s a lot. I think Liverpool changed both their full-backs from midweek to today. So it’s a big thing. We want fullbacks to come bombarding up and down. So we need everyone. But I’m very happy with Destiny.”
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