Djed Spence faces the biggest two months of his career so far for Tottenham Hotspur, with Thomas Tuchel and England watching closely.
The Lilywhites stand on the brink of relegation, with new manager Roberto De Zerbi facing the tall task of putting a broken team back together.
Seven games stand between Tottenham and Premier League safety, with the repercussions of relegation set to be detrimental for each and every person involved.
Spence’s response will be key, not only for his club future, but for his chances of going to the World Cup with England this summer.
Tottenham’s form does not suggest that they can do it, but if the likes of Spence stand up and fight, they have every chance.
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Djed Spence fighting to represent New Balance at the top level
Tottenham expert John Wenham suggested exclusively to Football Insider in December that Spence has impressed Tuchel this season, with the 25-year-old playing a part in every international camp since his initial call-up.
The defender is favoured for his intelligence and his two-footedness, capable of swapping sides of the pitch with ease.
Spence’s talents were spotted by New Balance, who added him to their collection of footballers last week.
The defender will hope his Furon v8s will continue to touch Premier League pitches next season, and sit in his bag for the flight to North America.
Before that, however, the 25-year-old must impress a different manager. De Zerbi is yet to take his first game as Tottenham manager, but on paper, Spence is the perfect full-back for him.
The England international is superb on the ball and more than capable of the risky and exciting way the Italian’s teams are asked to play out from the back.
And it is that technical ability which will be so important to ensuring that his tactics are picked up upon quickly, and to the required effect.
The next step of Spence’s story
Spence’s journey to Tottenham is an interesting and unusual one. The defender started out at Fulham before moving on to Middlesbrough in 2018.
After a loan spell to Nottingham Forest, the 25-year-old caught the attention of clubs throughout the Premier League by delivering a superb performance up against Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli in the FA Cup.
Tottenham won the race and sent Spence on loans to Stade Rennais, Leeds and Genoa, before eventually giving him a chance last season.
The Englishman quickly impressed, and the rest is history. Now, in just three months, Spence’s New Balances could be touching down for England at the World Cup.
But there remain seven key games before that can happen. Seven games that could well prove defining for both the defender and Tottenham.
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