Alan Hutton believes former Nottingham Forest loanee Djed Spence is in danger of having his confidence heavily knocked at Tottenham Hotspur and has pushed for the player to pursue a loan move away from the club.
Spence, 22, signed for Spurs in a deal worth around £12.7 million this summer after enjoying a successful promotion campaign with Forest, where he recorded six goal involvements across his 38 starts for The Reds.
The England U21 international has since seen little-to-no game-time under Antonio Conte with just three Premier League substitute appearances to his name, for a total of four minutes of action.
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Speaking to the website Football Insider, Hutton outlined his worry for Spence after claiming the defender could have his confidence severely affected in North London. “It can affect somebody’s confidence and that can put you on a downward spiral which is not ideal for anyone ,” said Hutton.
“I think he is a fantastic player, I think he has a lot to give now. I saw a little glimpse of him against Nottingham Forest and he was running, trying to make things happen.
“The enthusiasm is there. When you look at Antonio Conte’s options, (Matt) Doherty and Emerson Royal, I do not think they have been setting the heather alight. So I do not understand why he is not getting a bigger opportunity.
“If Conte is deciding at this moment in time that he is for the future then let him go out and play games. Let him go and build himself up, his confidence and show the manager what he is missing out on.
“But I believe he has definitely got something to give at this moment in time. But Conte sees him day in day out and if he thinks he is not ready then that is his choice.“
Steve Cooper's side were heavily tipped to make Spence's temporary stay at the City Ground a permanent one but the player opted for Tottenham instead.
Forest have recently lost right-back Guilian Biancone for the remainder of the 2022/23 season through injury and could look to solve Spence's transfer nightmare with a possible return for the player who played such a large role in last season's promotion success.
