Tottenham Hotspur insider John Wenham is worried about right-back Djed Spence as a result of Antonio Conte’s latest comments regarding the summer signing.

The Lowdown: Spence’s omission

The 22-year-old was omitted from Conte’s matchday squad to face Fulham on Saturday, in which the Lilywhites clinched three points with a 2-1 victory.

Disappointingly, the £20m signing has only made a brief cameo so far in a Spurs shirt, coming on for a single minute against Nottingham Forest, the club with whom he spent last season on loan from Middlesbrough.

The Latest: Wenham fears for Spence

Wenham believes that Spence’s absence from Tottenham’s matchday squad on Saturday is a big cause for concern. When combined with recent comments made by Conte, the youngster’s situation at Hotspur Way seems less than ideal.

Speaking with Football Insider, the N17 insider claimed: “Conte’s comments are interesting.

“Conte said in the week, ‘Djed is a signing for the club, he is a great prospect for Tottenham but for sure if we want to win we need other signings, I want to be clear about this’.

“That’s not great for his confidence, is it? It now does seem the cameo he was given against Nottingham Forest was a token gesture against his old club rather than anything more.

“I would really like to see Spence get a run out at right-back ahead of Emerson Royal but it doesn’t seem like that is going to happen anytime soon.”

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The Verdict: High to low for Spence

Spence’s lack of minutes at Tottenham has been a concern this season, with the 22-year-old having arrived on a massive high after achieving Premier League promotion with Forest just a few weeks prior.

In the Championship last season, the England under-21 international averaged 1.8 dribbles, 1.6 interceptions, 1.5 tackles and 1.4 clearances per game, finishing the campaign with an impressive 7.05 rating from WhoScored.

However, Conte’s comments indicate that Spence will not play a significant role in his short-term plans going forward.

Therefore, if this does end up being the case, it may be possible that we see the 22-year-old heading out on loan to gain first-team experience in the near future.