Ange Postecoglou says Spurs have a 21-year-old who’s ‘so quick and so powerful’

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has praised Destiny Udogie at his pre-match press conference ahead of their Premier League fixture on Thursday.

The Spurs boss described the 21-year-old full-back as “so quick and so powerful”, saying he doesn’t want to take that away from his game amid disciplinary rules.

Tottenham will look to pick up their first win in five when they host West Ham in Thursday’s 8:15pm kickoff at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Udogie has been a revelation for Spurs this season, becoming a regular starter for Postecoglou and impressing on the left side of defence. He has missed just two games this term.

The 21-year-old’s absence in the win at Crystal Palace in October was for a muscle issue, and the other was the Wolves loss after his sending-off at Chelsea.

Tottenham star Destiny Udogie needs that part of his game – Ange Postecoglou

Udogie is currently on four yellows, so he’s walking a tightrope in terms of another potential suspension. Likewise, Cristian Romero would get a four-match ban with another straight red.

In quotes transcribed by football.london, Postecoglou was asked whether he needs to ‘police that with the group’ or whether the players do that by and for themselves.

“It is a combination of both,” said the Tottenham boss. “Look, they are defenders, they are put in that position and I think Destiny has been unlucky a couple of times.

“But at the same time you need that part of your game to be there as a defender, particularly in the Premier League.

“You are facing some of the best strikers in the world and attacking players.

“Part of what they bring to the game is physicality and Destiny, particularly, for a full-back is so quick and so powerful, so we don’t want to take that away from him.

“But, there is a broader consequence for those kind of things and when you talk about discipline, it is not just about getting yellow or red cards.

“It is a disciplined approach in the way we are playing and the way you behave on the football field. All those things make a difference.”

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Tottenham have well and truly struck gold with Udogie. At just 21 years of age, he’s already looking like a top-end Premier League star, and Spurs have got him for just £21million (ESPN).

Obviously Udogie will still have elements of his game that’ll need fine-tuning, but as Postecoglou suggested, this can’t be at the detriment of what makes him such a dominant player.

It’s about striking that balance, and part of it will also come with experience, as Udogie gets more and more games under his belt, not to mention picking up more and more knowledge from the training ground.