‘Tied him down’…Andy Townsend says £15m Tottenham player completely stopped 26-year-old Aston Villa man

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Tottenham hammered Aston Villa this weekend as they made a big statement in the race for the top four this season.

Ange Postecoglou’s side had far too much for Villa and when John McGinn was sent off, the game became much easier for the Londoners.

For Tottenham, it felt like a big moment going to a rival and putting on such a show. A number of their top players, like Heung-Min Son and James Maddison delivered when it mattered, much to the delight of the Spurs away end.

However, speaking on TalkSPORT this morning, former Villa midfielder Andy Townsend felt the performance of £15m left-back Destiny Udogie had a big impact on the game.

“I think Unai Emery would admit that his boys didn’t quite get up to speed as well as they can. Bailey wasn’t quite the threat he normally is, I thought Udogie sort of tied him down quite well,” Townsend said.

Udogie is one of the Premier League’s best full-backs now

The signing of Destiny Udogie was eagerly anticipated by Tottenham fans and they spent a year waiting for him to arrive. But that wait has been well worth it.

Udogie is now flying for Tottenham and looks like one of the best full-backs around. His ability to go central, just like Pedro Porro on the other side, has been pivotal in Postecoglou implementing his style.

Given he is still only 21, the sky looks like being the limit for Udogie and if he carries on like this, he’ll be one of the most in-demand players in world football.

Tottenham beating Villa was really important yesterday. Equally important in that win was Udogie keeping Bailey quiet.

For Spurs, the key is to now come back from the international break and keep their form up. They’ve put themselves right back in the mix for fourth. And if they can perform like they did at Villa Park, they might just win out.