Udinese Group Technical Director, Gianluca Nani, has spoken glowingly about Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, saying the Nigerian has been in such fine form in training that “it was almost impossible to score against him.”

Maduka Okoye returned to Udinese’s starting lineup for Monday night’s Serie A match against US Cremonese after serving a two-month suspension over betting-related issues.

The 24-year-old missed the club’s opening six league games, with Romanian shot-stopper Razvan Sava filling in during his absence.

Despite being out of competitive action for nearly five months, Okoye looked assured between the posts on his comeback, commanding his area with confidence and showing no sign of rust.

Speaking after the match, Nani told DAZN that the coaching staff had been impressed by Okoye’s work in training leading up to his return. “Okoye has trained really well in recent weeks; it was almost impossible to score against him in training,” he said.

“We’re really happy he’s back because he’s our starting goalkeeper and there were never any doubts. But I want to thank whoever replaced him, who did very well.”

Okoye, who joined Udinese from Watford, is now focused on reclaiming his place as Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper ahead of next month’s World Cup playoffs.

With the Super Eagles preparing for a crucial qualifying run, his form could put pressure on Stanley Nwabali, who has been the preferred option in recent international fixtures.