Djed Spence has seven games remaining until his loan spell with French side Rennes comes to an end and he makes his return to Tottenham
After making his debut in their 3-1 defeat against Lille at the start of February, Spence started seven successive games in Ligue 1 and also played in both of their Europa League knockout round clashes against Shakhtar Donetsk as he was handed a regular run of action that he craved at Tottenham.
That win in the French capital midway through March was unfortunately the last time the England Under-21 ace started a game for Bruno Genesio's men. Following the return to fitness of Traore just prior to the international break as he came on in their games against Auxerre and PSG, the Mali ace has regained his place in the Rennes side at the expense of Spence.
Now only having seven games left before their 2022/23 campaign comes to an end, Spence appears to have a real fight on his hands to get some pitch time under his belt before he heads back to Tottenham. As his main competitor is the captain of the club, the ex-Nottingham Forest loanee may find himself stuck on the bench for the remainder of the season unless Traore suffers another injury or his form starts to tail off.
That means it will be a fresh start for the player, as well as the rest of his Tottenham teammates, and a change in management could be what he needs to really get his Spurs career up and running. Whereas he was competing with Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty for the right wing-back berth in the first part of the term, he now has Pedro Porro as a challenger after the Spaniard was signed from Sporting CP prior to Doherty's departure to Atletico Madrid.
Finding himself back on the bench in recent weeks, Spence will be doing all he can to finish the season in the Rennes side and help them achieve a European spot before heading back to Tottenham. His attention will then switch to his parent club and ensuring that the new management at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium see exactly why he was brought to north London in the first place.