‘Has taken responsibility’- Ange reveals what has changed over his plans for defender
Ange Postecoglou has praised Djed Spence for the attitude he has shown during pre-season, insisting that the defender can make a valuable contribution to the side over the course of the campaign.
Ange Postecoglou has been speaking about Djed Spence
Coming into the summer transfer window, many would have expected Djed Spence to be one of the first players out of the door at Hotspur Way.
After all, Ange Postecoglou appeared to decide as soon as he arrived last summer that the Englishman would not be part of his plans, with the player spending last season on loan at Leeds United and Genoa.
However, the Australian explained that he always had an open mind about the right-back, explaining that he fits in well into Tottenham’s system.
Tottenham will be looking to compete on multiple fronts this season having qualified for the Europa League.
When asked about Spence being back in his plans, Postecoglou told Football.London: “It’s one of those things that when you start pre-season, we had quite a few guys who were out on loan last year. Part of me is saying, OK, we need to keep evolving this squad.
“The guys go out on loan for a reason. Have they come back [and now] are they a better fit, are they part of what we’re doing? With Djed, I had an open mind. I certainly think the kind of characteristics he has would fit into our football.
“It’s then more about, OK, well he obviously didn’t fit last year, will he fit this year? He’s had a good pre-season. He’s trained really well. He seems to have fit into the group really well.”
Spence has been used as a left-back on a few occasions during pre-season and Postecoglou confessed that the 24-year-old’s versatility makes him a valuable squad option.
Spence is more of a right full-back admits Ange
When asked about using the former Middlesbrough man at left-back, the Spurs boss said: “I don’t think left-back is his obvious position, I think he’s more of a right full-back, but the fact that he can play out on the left, again gives us some good options into the season where with European football we’re going to have more challenges.
“It was quite obvious last year that whenever we had disruptions in terms of injuries or suspensions, our performance dropped a fair bit. We’re trying to narrow that gap.
“Hopefully having Djed as part of our squad allows us to do that. He’s training well, he’s available for Monday and I’ll make those decisions at the weekend.”
There have been plenty of murmurs about Spence having some attitude problems over the last 12 months but Postecoglou insisted that there has been nothing wrong with the defender’s behaviour this summer.
When asked about lapses in the right-back’s behaviour, the 58-year-old responded: “You would know about it if it was. He wouldn’t be part of it if it was. But that’s probably something that, whether that was right or wrong, as a person and as a player, Djed has taken responsibility for that and not allowed that to be part of the conversation this pre-season.
“For me and all the coaches, we’ve had absolutely zero issues with his attitude. He’s trained really well, he’s fit into the group really well. That’s on him. He’s the one who hasn’t allowed it to become an issue.”
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Ange’s willingness to offer Spence a lifeline sends a good message to the other players, showing that the Australian is prepared to give second chances and that even those who are seemingly on the fringes can force themselves back into his plans.
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