‘He’s improving’: Conte hints ‘unbelievable’ Tottenham talent now in line for second Spurs outing

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has provided an update on Djed Spence ahead of Saturday’s Everton clash.

The 22-year-old joined Spurs in the summer to much fanfare. This was in wake of his superb efforts on loan at Nottingham Forest.

However, Spence has been on the fringes of the Tottenham first-team up to now. He has just one minute of competitive action to his name.

Conte has routinely called patience over the England Under-21 international.

And speaking ahead of Saturday’s meeting with the Toffees, the Tottenham boss said Spence is getting to grips with his methods.

Football.london asked Conte about who he plans to play at right wing-back, with Emerson Royal suspended.

The Tottenham boss hinted that Matt Doherty would be starting, but he also praised Spence, suggesting he’s now an option too.

“We played without Emerson at Brighton and I was really pleased with Matthew (Doherty),” said Conte.

“He’s struggled this guy to come back to a good level. Last season he struggled but then he became a really important player for us.

“Also Djed, he’s working and he’s improving and he’s starting to understand which is the demand to stay at Tottenham. I’m pleased to have more options.”

Spence is an “unbelievable” talent, and it’s not surprising to hear a player needing a bit of time to adapt to a new manager’s methods.

While it’s nice that some can hit the ground running – like Dejan Kulusevski – they’re usually the exception to the norm.