Former Tottenham left-back Christian Ziege has warned Destiny Udogie that he must train consistently before returning to action or risk another injury setback.
Udogie made his first appearance in three weeks, coming off the bench to help Spurs see out a 2-0 win over 10-man Crystal Palace last weekend. The 23-year-old has been struggling with a knee injury sustained at the start of October against Manchester United and has been in and out of full-team training.
De Zerbi admits Udogie's injuries are 'problematic'
Asked about Udogie's persistent injury issues, Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi admitted they were becoming "problematic" and added that his minutes would remain limited so long as he was unable to train consistently.
Ziege, who made 55 appearances for Spurs between 2001 and 2004, agrees with De Zerbi and believes Udogie stands to suffer yet more injuries if he tries to return before training properly.
"If you see Destiny Udogie's history over the last few months, he's had some problems with his knees and a few other issues. I don't know the exact reasons for that, but the most important thing if you want to be a real contender and play at the highest level is that you have to be fully fit when you come back," Ziege exclusively tells Standard Sport.
Ziege's advice: get ready to play 90 minutes
"If you're not fully fit, it can cause problems, because then you pick up another small, tiny injury. You can't reach your highest level if you haven't trained properly or aren't fully fit, and that leads to more problems."
"So my advice would always be to get really fit, get ready to play 90 minutes. That's the best thing you can do, otherwise, you'll face more setbacks than you deserve."
In Udogie's absence, the experienced Andy Robertson has deputised ably, and Ziege says he is impressed by the left-back options De Zerbi has at his disposal.
"Spurs have great options at left-back, Andy Robertson has a lot of experience winning the Premier League, as well as the Champions League with Liverpool," Ziege continued.
"So that's a massive signing, I think. Destiny Udogie is a bit of a different player. From my point of view, he's maybe got a bit more skill and is more offensive."
"So they have two left-backs where they can react to all circumstances against different opponents, it's very promising."
