Postecoglou says Spurs ace has worked incredibly hard in training

Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence received a standing ovation for his performance against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup in midweek. 

Spurs are missing several key players due to injuries, and this has allowed Ange Postecoglou to bring back the 24-year-old from the cold.

Spence started in back-to-back games for Tottenham – against Southampton and Man Utd – and impressed heavily.

The versatile full-back, who can play on both flanks, has played only 141 minutes in the Premier League.

Postecoglou has described him as ‘outstanding’, saying he has deserved his opportunity.

He told football.london: “Brilliant, fantastic. Like I said last week, last week he’s had to bide his time.

“Probably deserved to play a little bit more, but the situation at the beginning of the year, Archie [Gray] was playing more as a cover for left-back and right-back and he wasn’t registered for Europe so it limited his opportunities. But he kept working hard in training.”

Big challenge for Djed Spence going forward

Tottenham signed Spence from Middlesbrough in 2020.

He has made only 13 appearances for the club and spent time on loan at Rennes, Leeds United and Genoa.

Injuries to Ben Davies, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have opened up space for him.

The key for him is to maintain this level of performance. At some point, when all the senior players are back from injuries, Postecoglou will have selection issues.

Spence has come in at a difficult time and helped the side win back-to-back games.

Spurs will face Liverpool in the Premier League at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, and Spence is likely to retain his place.