Udinese’s Group Technical Director, Gianluca Nani, has hailed Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, describing him as one of the hardest goalkeepers to score against during training sessions.
Nani revealed that Okoye’s impressive form in training was the main reason he was quickly restored to Udinese’s starting line-up for their Serie A clash against US Cremonese on Monday night, immediately after serving his two-month suspension.
Okoye had missed the club’s first six Serie A games of the season after being suspended over betting-related issues. During his absence, Romanian goalkeeper Razvan Sava stood in and performed admirably for the team. However, upon his return, Okoye proved why he remains the club’s number one, delivering a strong performance that showed no signs of rust despite being away from competitive action for nearly five months.
Speaking to DAZN, Nani said: “Maduka Okoye has trained really well in recent weeks; it was almost impossible to score against him in training. We’re very happy he’s back because he’s our starting goalkeeper and there were never any doubts. But I want to thank Sava for stepping up when needed.”
Okoye’s return is also a major boost for Nigeria’s national team, as the 24-year-old aims to reclaim the Super Eagles’ first-choice goalkeeper spot from Stanley Nwabali ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
