Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou quizzed on Destiny Udogie future amid Man City transfer interest | OneFootball

Italian defender is a key player for Spurs but has admirers at the Etihad Stadium ahead of summer window

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou says "unique" full-back Destiny Udogie is a hugely important part of the club's future.

The Italian signed a new long-term contract at Spurs until 2030 last season but he is admired by Manchester City, who are expected to be in the market for a new set of full-backs in the summer.

"From the moment I arrived I felt he's going to be a real outstanding player for us. So much growth still to come, physically he's got outstanding attributes for that position, but he's improving his game all the time.

"He's obviously had two seasons where he's had some injury issues that have disrupted him a little bit, but even that, I just think it's part of his growth physically and coping with the levels.

"He's hugely important to us. His profile as a left-back, in particular the way we play, but in general is pretty unique in that he's big, he's powerful, technically he's good going forward but also a very good defender.

"He's in a good space at the moment and I still think him, with a number of others, I just think in the next two to three years they're going to be really, really important players for this club."

Spurs are down in 15th in the table, with nothing to play for but pride in the Premier League, but the win in Frankfurt set up a Europa League semi-final tie against Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt, keeping their season alive.

Postecoglou says he will make "five or six" changes to his side against highly-flying Forest but called on his players to display the same level of commitment as they did on Thursday.

"It's fair to say [the league form] has been challenging," he said. "But I think part of that challenge is, obviously the rotations in the team.

"To be fair, it's going to be similar Monday night, we're going to have to make five or six changes to the team, because we just want to make sure that everyone's sort of in the right space.

"But, I think at the same time, we're obviously disappointed with the performance, not the performance against Wolves, but certain aspects of the Wolves game.

"We need to have the same levels of concentration and focus that we did on Thursday night, because there's no doubt Forest are tough opposition. They’re having a great season. They've got huge motivation to win on Monday night.

"And yeah, for us, as much as we understand that the league has been very, very disappointing, and the Europa offers us a magnificent opportunity to achieve something special, I still think the best preparation for that is us to play well in the two games preceding it."