Ange Postecoglou has encountered plenty of nasty surprises during his second season in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, but Djed Spence’s rise has been a rare positive one. The 24-year-old has been one of Spurs’ best players since breaking into the team in mid-December,

Tottenham ended their run of four successive Premier League defeats with a hard-fought 2-0 victory at Brentford on Sunday. In a week where they travel to Anfield and Villa Park in the Carabao and FA Cup, the win was timely given it was their first in the top flight since before Christmas.

Spence helped to keep Salah quiet as Spurs won the first leg 1-0 in north London last month and the 24-year-old, who has been deputising at left-back for Ange Postecoglou's depleted side, is likely to be in direct competition with the Egyptian again at Anfield.