Tottenham right-back Djed Spence could depart the club on loan during the January transfer window, according to former Spurs defender Alan Hutton.

The Lowdown: Spence struggling to settle

The 22-year-old made the move to Spurs from Middlesbrough in the summer, having impressed hugely in a successful loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season.

Spence has struggled to hit the ground running in his first few months in north London, however, with Antonio Conte admitting that he is taking time to adjust to his new surroundings.

The Englishman has only played one minute of Premier League action this season, which speaks volumes about his place in the pecking order.

The Latest: Loan move predicted

Speaking to Football Insider, BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Hutton talked up a January loan move for Spence, allowing him regular football elsewhere:

"It is a weird one. When Spence signed, I thought he was a great talent. He was brilliant at Nottingham Forest. I thought he was ready for the Premier League.

"But then you hear Antonio Conte coming out and saying it was not his signing, it was a club signing and one for the future.

"It has not gone to plan for Spence which is a shame because he has ability. If this continues towards January he is going to have to look to get out on loan and play. He is too good to sit on the bench.

"You do not want that to effect him moving forward. He will want to be playing week in, week out. If that means going out on loan and coming back a better player so be it."

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The Verdict: Right decision for all parties

It is disappointing to see how Spence has struggled to date but it is important to remember that he is a young player who is still very much maturing, so there shouldn't be overly harsh criticism of him or Conte's development plan.

Sending him out on loan certainly isn't something many would have expected to happen so quickly after the fee spent this summer, but it makes more sense than seeing him earn barely any minutes at N17.

A return to the Championship could be ideal - Ian Wright described him as 'swashbuckling' at Forest - before returning to Spurs a more rounded footballer next summer.