‘He’s outstanding’ – Postecoglou says 24y/o Spurs ace has worked incredibly hard in training | OneFootball

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

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 so far.

Postecoglou has hailed him as “outstanding”, saying he has worked incredibly hard in training to keep himself fit.

The Spurs boss also added that he probably should have given him more game time this season and explained why he failed to do so.

Postecoglou said about Spence, as quoted by 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 in the summer of 2020 from Middlesbrough.

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

Spence was not registered for European games, and he found it difficult to get game time this season. However, the 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, and Spence must ensure he still remains in the manager’s plans.

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

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

Read more: Ange Postecoglou shares positive Tottenham injury update.