Tottenham Hotspur defender Destiny Udogie is reportedly hopeful of being back from a hamstring injury in time for Sunday's Premier League clash with Manchester United.
The Italy international is yet to take to the field in 2025 owing to the serious problem he sustained in Tottenham's final game of 2024, a 2-2 home draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Udogie has sat out each of Tottenham's last 11 games across all competitions, during which time Djed Spence has done an admirable job filling in on the left-hand side of the backline.
Ange Postecoglou also has Sergio Reguilon at his disposal for an out-and-out left-back option, but the Spaniard is far down the pecking order in North London, playing just five times in all tournaments this term.
Udogie was once again unavailable for Sunday's 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round loss to Aston Villa, but according to The Sun, the 22-year-old is now on the cusp of making his highly-anticipated return.
Udogie to be fit for Man United clash?
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The report claims that Udogie is expected to be fit for Sunday's top-flight visit of a struggling Man United side, offering Postecoglou a much-needed boost as he navigates a debilitating injury crisis.
The Australian has been dealing with a double-figure injury list for most of the winter period, during which Spurs have slid down the Premier League table while being knocked out of two cup competitions.
It was previously reported that defeat to Villa could have seen Postecoglou's job come under serious threat, but Daniel Levy is not expected to give him the boot just yet, having accepted that Tottenham's unprecedented injury situation has been a factor in their troubles.
Udogie has played just 23 times for Tottenham this season - registering one assist - but the 22-year-old is an undisputed starter for the Lilywhites on the left-hand side when fully fit.
When could Tottenham's other injury victims be back?
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Even if Udogie is given the green light to take part in the clash with Ruben Amorim's side, Spurs could still be missing as many as 10 players for their next Premier League game.
Radu Dragusin will not play again this season due to his ACL injury, while Dominic Solanke (knee) and Cristian Romero (thigh) are not expected back for another couple of weeks either.
However, all of Brennan Johnson (calf), Timo Werner (hamstring), James Maddison (calf), Wilson Odobert (thigh) and Guglielmo Vicario (ankle) should soon be entering the final stages of their recovery phases and could return imminently.
Postecoglou is exercising extreme caution over the newly-fit Micky van de Ven, though, and the Dutchman remains uncertain for the Man United clash, while there is no timeframe on Richarlison's return from a calf problem.
Tottenham are languishing in a lowly 14th place in the Premier League table with just 27 points after 24 games, but they will leapfrog 13th-placed Man United with victory over Amorim's off-colour side in North London.
Ben Knapton
