English media deliver intriguing verdicts on Djed Spence after England draw with Ghana

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Tottenham star Djed Spence was a surprise inclusion in England’s starting eleven for the World Cup clash with Ghana last night.

Spence raised eyebrows when he was selected by Tuchel for the World Cup squad, but now he’s featured in both games the Three Lions have played.

Fill in the gap: Djed Spence was __/10 for England against Ghana

Were you shocked to see the Tottenham man start for England on Tuesday night?

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The Tottenham full-back lined up at left-back in place of Nico O’Reilly and tried his best to get forward and help England combat the low block deployed by Ghana.

Taking part in this World Cup has done Spence the world of good when it comes to his confidence, and after the game, the media discussed his performance.

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English media deliver verdict on Djed Spence’s showing vs Ghana

Following the game, a number of news outlets gave their player ratings and it proved a mixed bag for the Tottenham performer.

The Guardian scored Spence a 5/10 and bemoaned: “Surprise choice to replace Nico O’Reilly at left-back, the Spurs man didn’t do anything to justify his selection.”

The i Paper saw him score slightly better with a 6/10 and they said: “Crucial block early in the second half, but failed to offer anything in attack. Only England player not to shake Thomas Partey’s hand pre-match.”

The Independent scored Spence 7/10 and felt he did better, adding: A surprise starting pick over Nico O’Reilly, Spence was solid on his first World Cup start. While he didn’t actually face a single one-on-one battle with Antoine Semenyo, he did cover well to deny Marvin Senaya after his second-half burst into the box.”

Finally, The Telegraph only saw him as a 5/10 too, suggesting: “Tuchel was not happy with him before taking him off. But he had saved England with an excellent tackle on Marvin Senaya in the second half. No handshake for Thomas Partey following the anthems after he was preferred to Nico O’Reilly at left-back, which was a reward for his substitute appearance last week and solid performances in the warm-up games.”

Spence will now wait to discover if he’s done enough to keep his place in the England team for Saturday’s game against Panama.

The Tottenham man has clearly been taken for his pace and ability to play on both sides of the pitch, and now Tuchel has a decision to make ahead of the weekend.