Djed Spence Steps onto Training Pitch for Inter
Almost a month after landing in Milan from Tottenham Hotspur, Djed Spence has finally stepped onto the training pitch in Nerazzurri colours. The wait for his first minutes at San Siro, though, looks set to go on.
Club photographers captured Spence working with the group on Thursday, with Italian outlets confirming it was his first full session “out on the grass” since signing for Inter in a €35m summer move.
For the England international, it marks an important milestone. Until now, all his work had been confined to the gym and individual programmes, a slow build-up that has frustrated supporters eager to see the 26-year-old in action.
La Gazzetta dello Sport report that Inter granted Spence an extended break after his run to the World Cup semi-finals with England. He then returned carrying a minor physical problem, which ruled him out of the final stretch of pre-season and delayed his integration into Simone Inzaghi’s plans.
That backdrop explains a curious contrast. While fellow England World Cup squad member John Stones has already appeared three times since his own move to San Siro earlier in the summer, Spence has not yet kicked a competitive ball for Inter.
The defender was on the pitch at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 22, but only before kick-off, photographed in his new colours ahead of the Serie A clash with AC Monza. Since then, it has been a case of watching, waiting, and rehabbing.
Inter host Udinese on Monday night, giving Spence three more days of work before the next Serie A fixture. It sounds like a natural target. The club, though, are refusing to be rushed.
According to SportMediaset, the Nerazzurri hierarchy prefer a cautious route. The report claims that October 10, at home to Parma in Inter’s first match after the international break, is the pencilled-in date for Spence’s debut.
For now, the right-back has what he wanted: boots on the grass, ball at his feet, and San Siro on the horizon. The question is not if he will appear there, but how different Inter might look by the time he finally does.
