Tottenham: Conte 'wants to keep' rarely-seen star at Hotspur Way

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte will want to keep hold of Djed Spence and the rest of his squad for the rest of the season, claims journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The right-back is one player who has constantly been overlooked by the Italian so far this term, but O’Rourke thinks he will be needed as the campaign goes on.

Conte has only used Spence once following his £19m move (via ESPN) from Middlesbrough in July.

Right now, Emerson Royal is above him in the pecking order, while the former Inter Milan manager also has Matt Doherty to call upon.

Right wing-back is a position Ivan Perisic has played in, too, with the Croatian starting there in the 6-2 win against Leicester City just before the international break.

Conte did reveal that Spence was actually a club signing rather than someone he had identified, explaining why he has barely been used this season.

Despite snubbing Spence in this early part of the campaign, O’Rourke thinks Conte will still want to keep hold of him.

Speaking about the Englishman and Spurs’ roster overall, the journalist told GIVEMESPORT: “I just think with the World Cup and everything that’s going on, Antonio Conte will want to keep hold of his squad for the rest of the season.”

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At this stage, probably not. It is still early in the season, so there is time for him to break into the team and get some minutes.

He is, of course, also just 22 years of age. If it does not work out for him this term, which will probably be the case based on early signs, it could be another story in a future campaign.

Spence may need a loan before then, and if the former Middlesbrough man gets one and impresses at