Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has admitted Romanian defender Radu Dragusin has impressed him a lot in training.
Competition for places in the starting XI at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is becoming fierce now Ange Postecoglou has had two transfer windows to bolster his squad.
And although he has not exactly been the number one choice at centre-back since arriving last month, Postecoglou is pleased with what he’s season from Radu Dragusin.
When will Dragusin play
Up to now, the Romanian has not been able to work his way into the starting XI under the Australian because of the impressive backline partnership being formed.
The summer arrival of Micky van de Ven has helped bring the best out of Cristian Romero and the pair looking a rock solid pairing for years to come.
Unfortunately, this has meant the £25m player’s opportunities have been few and far between thus far.
But speaking to the media from Hotspur Way on Friday, the Australian shared his thoughts on what he’s seen so far: “It’s about working your way. He’s adapting. We play a lot differently to what he’s used to, we’ve used him in games and I think he’s done well when we’ve used him,” he said.
“Again, we didn’t buy him for six months, we brought him to this football club for a long time and we’ve already seen this year what losing our two central defenders what impact that had on our season. I don’t want that to happen in the future so Radu is here for that and the next three to four months before the end of the season it’s about him adapting and working hard.
“He’s been outstanding in training, great attitude, great amongst the players. The players can really see the qualities he has and he’s ready to play.”
Three at the back
Given how highly Postecoglou has praised the Romanian, perhaps there could be some consideration made about playing three at the back.
This is a formation which Spurs fans will be all too familiar with from recent years, but it could provide attacking football under the Australian.
Heung-min Son has already spoken about how much of a presence the 22-year-old centre-back is to have around the place.
So perhaps there is a possibility that if he can’t replace Romero or Van de Ven, Postecoglou may have to change up his formation to accommodate him.
That may not be the case for the game against Wolves on Saturday with both Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie set to be missing through injury.
His own mother may have called for patience over her son’s lack of game time, but it appears he could come into the thinking sooner rather than later if he continues to impress behind the scenes.
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