After returning from a recent knee injury, Djed Spence must prove he deserves to play ahead of players like Luke Ayling, Jamie Shackleton, and Archie Gray, according to Leeds United manager Daniel Farke.\
Spence has been listed on the Whites’ substitutes’ bench for the last two games, but he hasn’t played in either as Farke plans to gradually reintegrate the Tottenham Hotspur defender who is on loan.
This season, Spence had only made one nine-minute cameo appearance. Two months later, he was sidelined with a knee injury. He has returned and replaced Luke Ayling in the matchday squad, but he has not yet been brought back onto the field and was not given the opportunity to play against his old team, Middlesbrough, last weekend.
Although a starting position seems much less likely, the 23-year-old is expected to be included in Farke’s squad for this weekend’s match against Blackburn Rovers. The Leeds manager is cautious about throwing Spence back into the team after a comparatively inactive 2023 season and says the player needs to demonstrate in practice that he deserves to start at right-back.
Farke told reporters earlier this week, “I was quite pleased I was not forced to rush a player like Djed into the side.” “It’s healthy if you don’t have to rush him after being out for so long, going through a difficult time with Tottenham, and then spending roughly eight weeks in rehab.
“It’s also good for the team because they see a player with a lot of potential; however, you have to earn the right to play; being injury-free is not enough. We weren’t compelled to rush him too soon, which made me happy that I had so many other excellent options with Luke, Jamie, and Archie at the moment.
It gives Djed the right indication that he shouldn’t take it for granted.
Alongside fellow Spurs loanee Joe Rodon, Spence spent the second half of the previous season out on loan at Ligue 1 club Stade Rennais. However, towards the end of the campaign, he suffered an injury that prevented him from playing in a competitive match between the beginning of April and his Leeds debut in early September. He also missed England’s successful Under-21 European Championship campaign due to a knee issue.
We’re all glad to have Djed here, and I have no doubt that he will continue to excel on the field in the future. However, as I have stated in relation to Willy [Gnonto] and Patrick [Bamford], it is not about a single person. The team has found a unique groove; we don’t need to alter our setup in order to play.
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