Udinese’s Group Technical Director, Gianluca Nani, has praised Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, saying it was almost impossible to score against him during training.
Because of his strong performances in training, Okoye was quickly brought back into the starting line-up for Udinese’s Serie A match against US Cremonese on Monday evening, following his return from suspension.
Okoye Returns After Suspension
Okoye had been suspended for two months due to betting-related issues, which meant he missed the first six league games of the season.
During that time, Romanian goalkeeper Razvan Sava filled in and played all six matches.
Despite being out of club action for around five months, Okoye looked confident and sharp in his comeback match.
Nani: Okoye Showed Top Form in Training
Speaking to reporters (via DAZN), Nani said Okoye impressed the coaching staff in recent training sessions.
“Okoye has trained really well in recent weeks; it was almost impossible to score against him in training,” Nani said.
“We’re really happy he’s back. He’s our number one, and there was never any doubt about that. But we also want to thank the goalkeeper who replaced him — he did very well too.”
Eyes on the Super Eagles Number One Spot
With his return to regular football, Okoye will now hope to challenge Stanley Nwabali for the Super Eagles’ first-choice goalkeeper spot, especially as Nigeria aim to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup through the playoffs.