“His time will surely come” – Super Eagles invitee tipped for first Serie A start

The versatile defender is yet to make the first eleven since joining the Friulian club in the summer

Udinese manager Andrea Sottil has assured new signing Kingsley Ehizibue that it is only a matter of time before he makes his first start for the club.

Ehizibue joined Udinese on a free transfer last month after ending his three-year association with German Bundesliga campaigners FC Cologne.

But any hopes of going straight into the first eleven of the Italian side have been put in check as Ehizibue has only made two cameo appearances for a total of 15 minutes from the bench.

Ehizibue made his Serie A debut against Fiorentina, coming on for the final ten minutes as Udinese carved out a hard-fought 1-0 victory.

The 2020 Super Eagles invitee, on September 4, then saw five minutes of action in Udinese’s convincing 4-0 win at home to Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma.

Next on the agenda for the Friulians is an away meeting at Sassuolo in a Serie A matchday six fixture.

Head coach Andrea Sottil has offered no guarantee that Ehizibue will make his first start for the club. But the former Catania manager believes Ebizibue’s quality means the defender will not be out of the first-eleven picture for much longer.

“We will see the solutions match after match,” Sottil said at his pre-match press conference.

“Ehizibue is growing and adapting very well. He is a very physical player who is quickly understanding our concepts. He has already shown in the game his qualities, his determination, and the balls that he can put in the middle.

“He was bought on purpose for his characteristics, and his time will surely come.”

Last season in the colours of Cologne, Ehizibue made 16 Bundesliga appearances and created one assist.

During his three-year stay in Cologne, Ehizibue made 69 league appearances, scoring one goal and providing three assists.