Djed Spence's Inter Training Debut – When Will He Play?

Almost a month after swapping Tottenham Hotspur for Inter, Djed Spence has finally stepped onto the training pitch in Nerazzurri colours – yet his first taste of San Siro action may still be some way off.

Club photographers captured the England international working with the squad on Thursday, with Italian outlets confirming it was his first full session “out on the grass” since arriving in a €35m summer move.

For Inter, it was a first real glimpse of their new full-back at work. For Spence, it marked the end of a long wait.

World Cup run, delayed start

Spence, 26, was handed an extended break after his run to the World Cup semi-finals with England over the summer. That rest period, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports, was followed by a minor physical problem that ruled him out of the final stretch of pre-season.

Put simply: while Inter were sharpening up for the new campaign, Spence was stuck on the sidelines.

It goes some way to explaining why he has yet to feature for Simone Inzaghi’s side, especially when compared to fellow England World Cup squad member John Stones. Stones, who also made the move to San Siro earlier in the summer, has already clocked up three appearances.

The contrast is stark. One England defender already embedded, the other only just lacing up on the training pitch.

Inter in no rush

Inter’s schedule offers Spence a tempting target. Udinese visit San Siro on Monday night in Serie A, giving him three more days of work before the next competitive fixture.

But the mood inside the club is calm, not desperate.

According to SportMediaset, Inter’s management see no need to hurry him back into action after his disrupted preparation. The club are instead looking at the first match after the international break – at home to Parma on October 10 – as the most likely window for his debut.

That date has been “pencilled in”, the report claims, as the moment when Spence finally swaps training bibs for the black-and-blue shirt under the lights of San Siro.

For now, he waits. The boots are on, the grass is underfoot, and the countdown to that first Inter appearance has finally begun.