The decision of Udinese 19 year old defender Iyenoma Destiny Udogie to leave the U21 camp of the Italian national team during the recent international break has sparked talks of an imminent switch to Nigeria.
Udogie who was born in Italy to Nigerian parents is still seen as an option in the set up of the Nigerian team in the future making many to read several meanings into his decision to leave the camp of the U21 for the games against Luxembourg , Sweden and Ireland respectively on 6, 9 and 14 June.
Initial reports suggest he left the camp of the team in order to deal with issues around his immediate future as he is linked with a move to Inter Milan after excelling while on loan to Udinese from Hellas Verona.
Other sources are saying that he felt unhappy with his exclusion from the senior national team despite the decision of coach Roberto Mancini to leave out most of his regulars in the recent international round of games. He is also said to be considering the option of playing for Nigeria after the snub.
Last season Udogie was among the breakaway stars of the Italian Serie A as he didn’t only cement his spot in the first team but went on to be one of the pillars of Udinese. He scored five goals and also bagged four assists from his role as either a left full back or central defender.
As expected he was contacted by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) with a view of having him switch allegiance especially if Nigeria qualifies for the World Cup but that wasn’t the case as they lost out to Ghana in the play off.
