'Next Virgil Van Dijk' Agreement With Stoke City Still In Place, Undergoes Successful Surgery

Published: February 19, 2020

Allnigeriasoccer.com has been told that Iffy Udanoh's agreement with Championship outfit Stoke City is still in place amid speculation in the media that the deal has been put on hold after he suffered an injury.

The 2003-born central defender, who has been dubbed the 'Next Virgil Van Dijk' has agreed a two-year scholarship with The Potters with an effective date of July 1, 2020.

Udanoh has started his rehabilitation following successful surgery for a minor tear of the meniscus two weeks ago and the prognosis from the Stoke City medical team is that he would be out of action for six weeks, meaning he is expected to resume full training within the next one month or so.

His ailment is not a career-threatening injury as the surgeon just put a tiny camera in his leg and stitched up the injury.

He turned down the chance to sign scholarships with Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur before agreeing terms with Stoke City, where he fancies his chances of breaking into their first team.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Lyon were the other clubs interested in the signature of Udanoh, who trained with the Golden Eaglets ahead of their trip to Brazil for the 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel