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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Alex Young

‘A beautiful discovery’: Tottenham defender Djed Spence earns rave reviews on Rennes debut

Tottenham defender Djed Spence has earned rave reviews from Rennes fans after making his debut for the loan club.

Spence will spend the season at the Ligue 1 club, joining Spurs team-mate Joe Rodon in the team, after a deadline-day move from north London.

The summer signing at Spurs struggled for chances under Antonio Conte, playing less than 10 minutes in the Premier League over minimal substitute appearances.

The right-back picked Rennes over a number of other interested clubs, including Atletico Madrid, due to the increased chance of playing minutes, and the move appears to have already paid off.

Spence was little tested defensively in the first half but showed his attacking talents with marauding runs down the wing, almost forcing an own goal from a Lille defender. He later drove into the area and hit the side netting from 12 yards. Lille equalised in the second half and then scored the winner shortly after Spence was substituted.

Rennes fans and commentators have already been impressed, with journalist Hortense Leblanc falling the move "very clever" of the French side to snap him up, while Rennes fan account described the defender's attacking exploits as "more than validated".

Spence was also described as "steeped in talent", "very strong" and a "beautiful discovery" by viewers across the Channel. One Rennes fan asked: “Does Djed Spence have a brother who plays left-back by any chance?” while another said "...why did Tottenham lend [Spence] to us, they are crazy."

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