Djed Spence is yet to make his Inter Milan debut despite joining the Italian giants from Tottenham on August 15
Nobody could have predicted Djed Spence being back in London before he's even kicked a ball for Inter Milan. However, the England international full-back has returned to the capital during the international break as he finally closes in on his Inter debut.
Spence joined the Serie A champions from Spurs in a deal worth up to £29.9million in mid-August but 'physical issues' have prevented him from being available for selection.
That is set to change soon though because sources close to Inter claim he is due to report for training next Monday with the club's collection of non-international players.
It means he could make his first appearance in blue and black on October 10 when Inter host Parma in Serie A action before they also host Club Brugge in the Champions League three days later.
Spence wasn't included in Thomas Tuchel's latest England squad due to his fitness, though he has taken the chance to enjoy some downtime back in London.
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He is understood to have attended a Burberry show as part of fashion week, an event also attended by Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly while he was also spotted filming something with a camera crew while riding a Lime bike.
The irony of it all is that Tottenham really could do with Spence staying put in London, instead of returning to Milan. Pedro Porro picked up a hamstring injury in the 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa, meaning Spurs are now without a recognised right-back.
Archie Gray can do a job but his long-term future is in midfield. Some supporters are still struggling to come to terms with the decision to sell Spence on the back of such a stellar World Cup campaign.
Roberto De Zerbi has referenced in recent weeks that the club had to box-clever to comply with financial regulations given they spent so much money but selling Spence, a player they had put considerable time and effort into developing, felt somewhat controversial.
It's clear that Porro would be the club's first-choice right-back but Spence can also play at left-back, is homegrown and would still have had a very important part to play this season.
Don't be surprised if his sale is referenced at various points of the campaign, particularly if Porro is now set to embark on a spell on the sidelines.
De Zerbi has previously said he didn't want to keep players in N17 that didn't want to be there. Spence is thought to be have been open to exploring his options but he never truly felt wholly appreciated at Spurs even after breaking through into the team.
From his perspective, you can see why he jumped so willingly at the chance to try something new with Inter in Italy, a country he has played in before with Genoa.
He has joined a historic footballing institution, a club and team that regularly competes for top prizes and Christian Chivu also operates with a system that will suit Spence down to the ground.
It's such a good move for him but you can't help but feel he's left a void behind at Tottenham, even if some will still feel like it was the right time to move Spence on.