Radu Dragusin will have been hoping for a strong international break after Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-0 defeat away at Fulham.
Micky van de Ven was ruled out against Fulham with injury and that meant a chance for Radu Dragusin to step up.
The centre back signed from Genoa in January but had to wait patiently for his first Premier League start.
Van de Ven’s injury against Aston Villa ruled him out against Fulham and threw Dragusin into action.
The trip to Craven Cottage wasn’t a particularly happy one for Dragusin, who struggled in a 3-0 hammering.
Dragusin lost Rodrigo Muniz for Fulham’s opener and it just wasn’t his – or Tottenham’s – night as they fell to defeat.
Nobody should be writing Dragusin off at this stage; he only joined Tottenham in January and will need a period of adjustment.
Dragusin would have wanted to get back on track with Romania during the international break, but that didn’t really happen…
Romania boss on Radu Dragusin
Dragusin started against Northern Ireland but had his hands full with Stevenage striker Jamie Reid.
The Tottenham ace then started against Colombia on Tuesday night and was substituted at half-time in a 3-2 defeat.
This wasn’t the ideal international period for Dragusin, who may again be called upon at centre back for Tottenham against Luton Town this weekend.
Romania boss Edward Iordanescu has now explained his thinking behind substituting Dragusin at the break on Tuesday.
Iordanescu has told Digisport that he needs Dragusin to be a ‘certainty’ because he didn’t quite look right against Colombia.
Iordanescu suggested that Dragusin was suffering muscle problems and that is – in the eyes of the Romania boss – because he isn’t playing often enough.
“Radu Dragusin needs to become a certainty,” said Iordanescu. “I changed him at halftime because he felt a little loaded, that’s how it is when you don’t play,” he added.
Dragusin has gone from being a nailed-on starter at Genoa to having to fight for a place at Tottenham.
More than two months into his time at Tottenham, Dragusin has only started one game and Iordanescu is seemingly frustrated that one of his key players is now fighting for match sharpness.
That is not ideal heading towards Euro 2024 and Dragusin will be looking to find his best form in the coming weeks and months – or his Romania spot could come under scrutiny.
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