After a difficult start to his Tottenham Hotspur career, the March international break offered the Premier League giants’ new £26 million signing the chance to build up his confidence away from the limelight.
So the sight of a striker plying his trade in England’s third tier racing in behind to open the scoring on Friday night will have done little to boost the confidence of a man who’s only Spurs start under Ange Postecoglou so far came during last week’s damaging and morale-sapping 3-0 hammering by Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Radu Dragusin arrived amid big expectations, Napoli, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Milan and Newcastle United all showing an interest before Tottenham pulled off what was deemed to be a £26 million coup.
But with that Fulham thrashing still fresh in the memory, Romania going 1-0 down in Bucharest to a striker from Stevenage was the last thing Dragusin needed.
Radu Dragusin going through difficult spell after Tottenham move
“I’m delighted for Jamie Reid,” Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill tells BBC Sport after the former Mansfield, Torquay and Truro striker marked his Northern Ireland debut with a very well-taken goal after Dragusin and co were hit on the counter.
“I thought (Reid) came in and did really well, and his goal is a great finish. His all-round play was very good, so it is a brilliant international start for him.
“He was up against Dragusin, a very physical centre-back, and he more than held is his own. This is a lad that’s coming from League One football with Stevenage and if you watched the game you certainly wouldn’t have thought that.”
For the second time in a week, Dragusin found life difficult up against a physical, mobile and rather old-school centre-forward. Rodrigo Muniz peeled off the January signing to open the scoring at Craven Cottage, while Reid’s goalscoring debut under O’Neill felt like another brutal lesson for a defender who may take some time getting up to speed with the pace and the ferocity of football on the British isles.
Romania ace will need time to adapt
Former Romania international and one-time Tottenham ace Ilie Dumitrescu, meanwhile, feels there may be a rather simple explanation as to why Dragusin was given the runaround by Muniz down the road in West London.
Genoa, Dumitrescu points out, often fielded Dragusin in the heart of a three-man backline. At Spurs, however, he is not only having to get used to life in a new club and a new league but also a new system too.
“Dragusin switched from a system with five defenders that turns into three on the defensive phase. This was the first match in which Dragusin started as a starter (for Tottenham),” Dumitrescu tells Digi Sport.
“As a player you need to feel (things) from a tactical point of view, to feel the rhythm of the competition and the intensity of the competition which is different from Serie A. As for positioning, Dragusin had a different (role) at Genoa.
“He went from a system where the areas were very well covered. There are many moments when Genoa defends with seven players.”