Sport
Postecoglou explains Radu Dragusin situation
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has insisted that Radu Dragusin is part of his long-term plans despite his limited game time.
As Spurs faced injury issues in defence, centre-back Dragusin was signed in January from Genoa in a £25million plus add-ons deal.
The Romanian international was key in his former club’s promotion to Serie A and made 22 appearances this season before his move.
However, Dragusin has played just eight minutes of Premier League football for Spurs spread across three substitute appearances.
Despite the lack of action, Postecoglou has issued an explanation for the 22-year-old’s involvement and praised his attitude in training.
“He has been great, he’s working hard,” the Spurs boss said ahead of their clash against Wolves on Saturday – live and exclusive on talkSPORT 2.
“He was at Genoa and he was playing. If just playing was all he was interested in then he would have stayed at Genoa. If you want to move to big clubs then that’s part of the process.
“He knew that and that’s why I wanted him here because he knew the challenge of coming here and playing was not just going to be a given. It’s about working your way. He’s adapting.
“We play a lot differently to what he’s used to, we’ve used him in games and I think he’s done well when we’ve used him. Again, we didn’t buy him for six months.
“We brought him to this football club for a long time and we’ve already seen this year what losing our two central defenders what impact that had on our season.
“I don’t want that to happen in the future so Radu is here for that and the next three to four months before the end of the season, it’s about him adapting and working hard.
“He’s been outstanding in training, great attitude, great amongst the players. The players can really see the qualities he has and he’s ready to play.
Dragusin made his Spurs debut off the bench in their 2-2 draw with Manchester United before featuring against Brentford and Everton.
Postecoglou’s preferred centre-back pairing features Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, although both have had spells out of action.
Both are likely to start against Wolves in north London as Spurs look to solidify their place in the Premier League top four.
