Leeds manager Daniel Farke has suggested concerns over Djed Spence's attitude saw the Tottenham defender's loan deal terminated.
Spence was on Thursday sent back to Spurs as the Championship side exercised their break clause in the season-long deal. The move reportedly surprised the north London side.
The right-back has endured an injury-hit spell at Elland Road, making one appearance across his first three months before seven games - including six starts - in December, to positive reviews.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, ahead of Leeds' FA Cup trip to Peterborough, Farke explained the decision process behind signing Spence and then letting him go.
"I don't want to talk too much about Djed right now, because he's back at Tottenham and I totally respect that he's their player," he began.
"Listen, in the summer we came here in order to create and to bring new values and to create a new culture within the club and when we speak about a player if he's on here on a permanent or a loan deal, we have expectations and these expectations are in several topics important.
"Obviously it's important, the potential and the quality of the player but also it's professionalism, it's discipline, it's workload on and off the pitch and also the soft skills, so also if he's positive and committed, good for the group and engaged with these topics, paint then more or less a picture.
"And we decided okay, this is the player we want in our group and want to represent Leeds United, our demands are very, very high and we don't differ between loan players, permanent players so we are pretty picky in this topic."
Spence joined Spurs in the summer of 2022 from Middlesbrough after a stunning loan spell helping Nottingham Forest earn promotion to the Premier League. Antonio Conte, manager at the time, made clear upon the defender's arrival that he was a "club signing" rather than one of his choosing, and used the player rarely.
A loan move to Rennes in the second half of the season followed, with mixed results, before Spence joined Leeds in August.
Pushed for more on the decision to terminate the loan, having given Spence a prominent role over a busy festive period, Farke continued: "After a little bit of time after the New Year's game we've analysed the first half of the season, the first months and especially also the impressions over the festive period.
"When you make decisions in January, it's not a short-term decision ... We came to the conclusion that we will end the loan for for Djed and he will return back to Tottenham. We are grateful for his time here.
"He's a player of great potential and also a cool guy with a really good heart so we really wish him all the best. But yeah, sometimes you need to take a decision then you have to do this.
