Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou believes Djed Spence's 'characteristics' suit the club, as the Australian looks to start their season with a win away to Leicester City.
Spence, 24, spent last season on loan at Leeds United and Genoa. He was expected to depart Spurs permanently in the summer, but the former Nottingham Forest star has since impressed during pre-season.
Capable of playing on either flank, Spence is now seen as the deputy to both Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie, particularly after the sale of Emerson Royal to AC Milan. Ahead of tomorrow's match against Leicester City, his manager Postecoglou was full of praise for him.
"We obviously had quite a few players who were out on loan last year. Again, a part of me [thinks] we need to keep evolving this squad [and] the guys go out on loan for a reason. How they come back? Are they fitter? Are they part of what we're doing? With Djed, I had hope in mind," the former Celtic manager said.
"I certainly think the kind of characteristics he has would fit into our football. He's had a good pre-season. He's trained really well. He seems to fit into the group really well.
"I don't think left-back is his obvious position — he's more of a right-back — but the fact he can play on the left gives us some good options into the season where, with European football, we're going to have more challenges.
"It was quite obvious last year that whenever we had disruptions in terms of injuries or suspensions, our performance dropped a fair bit. We're trying to narrow that gap and, hopefully, Djed is part of that squad and allows us to do that. He's available for Monday.
Postecoglou was later questioned about previous attitude concerns and added: "You would know about it if it was [a problem]. He would probably not be part of [the squad] if it was. I've had absolutely zero issues with his attitude this season."
Tottenham finished last season in fifth and are expected to push for Champions League qualification once again. Postecoglou has always won the title in his second season in charge at each club — and, although he did not say they would be champions, he did state: "We will improve and see where that takes us."
Solanke's 'got a great work ethic'
Dominic Solanke joined Tottenham for a club-record fee last weekend. The former Bournemouth striker scored 19 goals last campaign, impressing with his mobility and ability to press from the front.
The 26-year-old is set to take the number 19 shirt at Spurs as their main striker ahead of Richarlison, with a debut against Leicester increasingly likely.
Postecoglou, who just makes the decisions regarding signings as part of his 'small role' in the process, stated his overall play was the most impressive factor when bringing him to N17, not one specific performance.
"There was not one performance; I thought he did well against us. He gave us some problems that a lot of strikers in the league did not. His mobility and movement were really impressive. There's no secret that we love to press and he's got a great work ethic," the 58-year-old outlined.
"He scores different types of goals and the way we play really suits him. I really liked where he was in his career. He obviously was an outstanding young player and got to some big clubs, but it never worked out for him.
"It's what you do in that scenario. Do you think 'it's never going to happen for me' or do you work your way back? He's done remarkably well to get himself back into a position where he scored 19 league goals last season. I love that aspect. It was a whole range of things that made me keen to bring him in."
Last campaign, Spurs were struck with injuries across the pitch. James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur and Richarlison all had prolonged spells on the sidelines, with Spurs' backline being hit the worst. However, despite those defensive insecurities, Postecoglou was always adamant the team's attack needed the most work.
"As much as the injuries at the back cost us last year, that was mainly because we lost three-quarters of our backline for a big chunk. I still felt it was upfront where we were most short — and it's still the area we need to improve the most," he said.
"A lot of that was because Richarlison, when he played, was outstanding, but he had a lot of injuries. We had to play Son centrally. It was [Brennan] Johnson's first year at the club. I still think he did well, but we had to sign Timo [Werner]. We lost [Ivan] Perisic and [Manor] Solomon [early on], so I felt it was the area we needed to bulk up this summer.
"Just going into the season with Dominic and Richarlison in the striker's position allows Son [to play out wide]. It does not mean Son can't play through the middle, but I think we look like a much better team when he's on the left. We are looking for improvement."