Super Eagles and Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has received praise from the club's technical director after his return to the Nigerian National team, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 26-year-old opted against joining the Super Eagles AFCON 2025 squad, solely because he wasn't guaranteed a starting spot in Morocco.
In Okoye's absence, Eric Chelle's men went on to claim the bronze medal, as Stanley Nwabali stood out in two consecutive penalty shoot-outs against Morocco and Egypt.
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Udinese technical director weighs in on Okoye's development
Scared to lose his place with his club side, the former Watford goalkeeper chose to continue with his club side while his national teammates were in Morocco.
After the AFCON tournament, Nwabali opted to part ways with Chippa United. Still clubless, he wasn't called up to the National team for the March International break.
Nwabali's loss became Okoye's gain, and the Germany-born Nigerian was reinstated again, standing between the sticks against Iran, before he suffered a thigh injury that ruled him out of a clash against Jordan.
Udinese's technical director, Gökhan Inler, who won the English Premier League title with Leicester City, has weighed in on Maduka Okoye's development after he got a call-up to the Super Eagles squad.
“You should ask him [Okoye] what we’re doing. We are working closely together; a goalkeeper like him must always play at a very high level,” the Swiss said in quotes revealed by Tutto Mercato Web.
“The important thing is to talk individually with the players, so you can get deeper. With Maduka, it was like that, every week, with the goalkeepers' trainer, with the coach, we're working a lot.
“It's important to give confidence to him, he has to give something in terms of communication, he's slowly growing up, he's also gone to the national team, he knows he has to prove in every game.
“I always keep up with him. When I see signs in the opposite direction, I have to direct them immediately because there are still 8 games and I want to do better than last year,” the 41-year-old concluded.
Maduka Okoye has kept six clean sheets for Udinese in 22 league games, helping the Bianconeri to 11th on the Serie A table.
