Harry Kane full of pride as Djed Spence makes England debut

All in all, it was a pretty successful international break for Tottenham Hotspur. Why? Well, primarily because the boys have returned safe and sound.

Thomas Frank’s squad should thus only be emboldened this weekend as we travel to the atmosphere-sapping London Stadium to face a West Ham side that, before they rocked up at the City Ground two weeks ago, looked nothing short of hopeless.

However, before we delve into Saturday's clash in east London and look forward to Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani’s likely debuts, let's celebrate the major Spurs event from the break.

On Tuesday night in Belgrade, Djed Spence became the 1,295th England international. The versatile full-back was a second-half substitute during the most emphatic win of the Thomas Tuchel era thus far, and his journey over the past year has been a testament to the 25-year-old's character and mental resolve.

Harry Kane delivers emotional speech when delivering Djed Spence's England cap

Some fans have a rather odd relationship with perhaps the club's greatest-ever player: Harry Kane. They weren't thrilled with the manner of his exit, the farewell video that came with it, and the fact he took too long to pay tribute to Son Heung-min after he departed N17 this summer.

However, he surely won a few hearts and minds back with his emotional speech when presenting Spence with his legacy cap after England's win.

 “We had a new debut today. I asked to do this because I saw this player three to four years ago at Tottenham, and he had to go through a lot," Kane started.

“He had to keep his head up, he had to work hard, and now he's an England player, so I'm a little bit emotional because I know how much it takes to get here.”

Keen not to choke up, Tottenham and England’s all-time record goalscorer added: “And I saw what it was like, and it was tough for you. So credit to you, your family, everyone involved... you deserve this one.”

Spence didn't play all that much with Kane in north London, but the striker saw first-hand how the full-back was treated by management after he signed in 2022. Antonio Conte dismissed him as a "club signing" and never gave him a chance, and his Spurs career looked all but over when he failed to impress during loan spells with Rennes, Leeds and Genoa.

It even took a while for Ange Postecoglou to see the light, but the stars finally aligned for Spence towards the end of 2024, and he simply hasn't looked back.

One-cap wonder or not (he shouldn't be!), Spence can always say he’s represented his country at the highest level.