Every tournament, an England player gets loads of media attention, often being built up to be sent crashing down. Last time, it was Jude Bellignham. This time, it’s Djed Spence. For some reason, the Tottenham full-back is the focus of lots of online clips, images and stories.
Reporting that he refused to shake hands with Ghana’s Thomas Partey is one thing. However, there are other stories about manager Thomas Tuchel shouting and coaching him, although it’s all relatively normal stuff. (By the way, the problem on England’s left is Anthony Gordon, not Djed Spence, or, indeed, Nico O’Reilly.)
There seems to be an outsized interest in shining a light on a player making his first major tournament appearance. It has a sinister undertone. It should stop.
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