Tottenham Hotspur have been destroyed by injuries this season somehow even worse than in previous years. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are still not back yet, Dominic Solanke only recently returned from being out for months, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall leave huge vacancies in midfield, Wilson Odobert is done for the season, and Mohammed Kudus's multi month injury looms largest.
But arguably no single player has been made more unreliable by recurrent injuries than starting left back Destiny Udogie, whose increased absences this season have, if anything, highlighted both how hard it is to trust him but also how important he is to the starting lineup when he does play.
Udogie's latest injury has kept him out since the beginning of February, and it is the second hamstring issue that has cost him a month of action and a handful of games. There was optimism he could return any game now, including this weekend against Liverpool, but that has not been the case.
Destiny Udogie will be ready for Nottingham Forest
However, Tottenham Hotspur manager Igor Tudor finally did get a chance to provide Spurs supporters with a positive Destiny Udogie injury update ahead of the Liverpool game. Per Tudor, Udogie is almost ready to return and is going to be ready when Spurs take on Nottingham Forest.
The Tottenham vs. Forest game is massive for both clubs, because Spurs, right now, are just one point above Forest and West Ham United in the Premier League relegation fight. So that is an even bigger must win for Spurs than the other must win games Spurs have already scuffed up, including last weeke's 3-1 debacle of a loss to London rivals Crystal Palace.
Having Udogie back in time before the next international break for the March 22 game on Sunday against Nottingham Forest will be massive. Udogie is a great progressor of the ball and a better defender than Djed Spence despite all the social media nonsense, and with Tudor unwilling to trust Souza as a starter yet, Udogie is really the only valid option at left back.
When Udogie returns vs. Forest, it would also be nice to see him starting behind Mathys Tel on the left wing. Tottenham fans have barely seen that axis this season, but when they have been given glimpses of it, it has looked like a pairing capable of delivering results to this otherwise downtrodden Tottenham side in the 2025/26 Premier League season.