Maduka Okoye is in contention to reclaim his starting spot for Udinese ahead of their Serie A clash against Como on Monday (today), after withdrawing from Nigeria’s second international friendly against Jordan last week, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Udinese head coach Kosta Runjaic provided an update on squad availability ahead of the fixture, with Okoye notably absent from the list of players in doubt.
Udinese head coach Kosta Runjaic provided an update on squad availability ahead of the fixture, with Okoye notably absent from the list of players in doubt.
The Nigerian goalkeeper had sustained a thigh injury while on international duty, having featured in Nigeria’s 2-1 win over Iran before being released from the squad prior to the 2-2 draw against Jordan after picking up the knock in training.
Runjaic also confirmed that Udinese trained with a near-full squad on Saturday for the first time since the international break.
“Apart from Jordan Zemura, Adam Buksa and Alessandro Zanoli, everyone else is available. Today (Saturday) we finally had everyone back together after the international break. Buksa is getting better and I hope he’ll start training with the team again next week,” he told the club’s website.
“Keinan Davis is a very important player for us but unfortunately he’s suspended for this one. Jesper Karlstrom is close to a suspension too but he’s been careful not to get booked recently. In any case, we have alternatives. Davis is not easy to replace as we don’t have another player like him in the squad. We’ve tried different solutions and we’ll see on Monday.”
Udinese are aiming to improve their league position, with Okoye playing a key role this season, making 22 appearances and keeping six clean sheets.
