The agent of Destiny Udogie has claimed the defender pushed for Tottenham Hotspur to let him link up with Italy on international duty, but was denied by the Premier League club due to the risk of aggravating an injury.
The 20-year-old left-back has been nursing a muscle injury since he was forced off in last month's 2-0 win over Fulham, and he subsequently missed the next match against Crystal Palace.
Udogie then passed a late fitness test to start against London rivals Chelsea just over a week ago, but he was sent off on the 55-minute mark for two bookable offenses in a chaotic 4-1 defeat, and he subsequently served a one-game suspension for the 2-1 loss at Wolverhampton Wanderers last Saturday.
A day before Spurs' defeat at Molineux, Italy announced a 29-man squad ahead of two crucial Euro 2024 qualifiers with North Macedonia and Ukraine, but Udogie was a notable absentee.
Speaking to reporters about Udogie's absence, Italy manager Luciano Spalletti said: "Destiny Udogie is not here because he is injured – that was not my technical decision."
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Udogie's agent Stefano Antonelli has since revealed that the defender was keen to join up with the national team this month, but Tottenham decided that it was best for the youngster to remain in North London due to concerns of a "relapse" with his injury.
Speaking to TuttoMercatoWeb, Antonelli said: "The first to be displeased is Spalletti. In the last few call-ups he has given strong signals. Unfortunately, in the match against Sheffield United at home, Destiny had a flexor problem.
"Tottenham did everything they could to get him back for the Chelsea game, which was also a poor match: he played 60 minutes before being sent off. Afterwards, it was deemed appropriate not to risk it as there would have been a risk of relapse.
"Destiny, until the last moment, tried to convince the Tottenham staff that the national team was something exceptional for him. He is a 20-year-old who told me, 'we want to be part of history, to be part of this group in the run up of the Euros is to be part of history'."
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Udogie, who initially joined Tottenham from Udinese last summer before returning to the Serie A club on a season-long loan deal, has made a bright start to life in North London under Ange Postecoglou, featuring 10 times in the Premier League.
Udogie's impressive start in the Spurs first team was rewarded with his first senior call-up to the Italy squad last month, and he was handed his debut for the Azzurri in a 4-0 win over Malta in Euro 2024 qualifying on October 14, featuring as a substitute for the final 11 minutes.
The left-back was then handed his first national team start just three days later against England at Wembley Stadium, and he lasted just over an hour as the Three Lions came from behind to win 3-1.
In the absence of Udogie, Spalletti has selected three left-backs in the form of Inter Milan's Federico Dimarco, Fiorentina's Cristiano Biraghi and Juventus' Andrea Cambiaso, the latter of whom has received his first senior call-up.
Italy are yet to announce their fixtures for the start of next year, but Udogie will hope to be fit and available for selection by then as he attempts to secure his spot in Spalletti's squad ahead of a potential appearance at Euro 2024.
Oliver Thomas
