Djed Spence has insisted he never lost faith that his career at Tottenham would take a turn for the worse, even after being completely out of favor for the better part of three years.
The England full-back earned plaudits again in Thursday's Carabao Cup match against Manchester United, helping his team to a thrilling 4-3 victory to book their place in the semi-finals.
Spence, 24, is finally making his mark at full-back and impressing again after an influential performance in Spurs' 5-0 defeat to Southampton last weekend, scoring an assist inside just 36 seconds.
After waiting 881 days for a place in Tottenham's starting XI, Spence claims he always believed he would get a chance to shine in north London.
“No, it's not over until I leave,” he said when asked if he ever lost hope. “There's always a chance to play.”
Since joining from Middlesbrough for £20m in 2022, Spence has spent much of his time on loan at Tottenham, moving between Stade Rennes, Leeds United and Genoa in recent seasons.
His spells away have produced mixed results, with encouraging signs showing at Rennes, but his spell at Elland Road was cut short the following season, with manager Daniel Farke raising questions about the player's attitude.
However, Spence appears to have bounced back from setbacks, with personal growth central to his career turnaround under Ange Postecoglou.
“I just grew as a person, I guess,” he added. 'You learn a lot during loan periods, so when I came back I got started straight away, with the right mentality. I'm happy to be here.'
Spence will have the difficult task of keeping Destiny Udogie out of the team, who has had a brief spell on the sidelines due to injury but could be fit for Sunday's huge display at home to league leaders Liverpool.
But thanks to back-to-back starts, Spence is eager to rack up more minutes and make an impact every chance he gets.
“I just want to keep going,” he said. “I'm happy with the assist and hopefully I'll keep helping the team, keep going, keep playing well and hopefully we can keep winning too. Sometimes it's hard, but you have to stay ready.
“Thank you to my teammates and the coaching staff for helping me stay ready for when I get the opportunity to do what I do.
“I got an assist and the last game I got an assist, so I'm happy with myself. We train hard, so I'm always prepared and you have to be ready no matter what.”
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