Djed Spence evidence proves Tottenham star can help book England's World Cup final spot vs Argentina

Tottenham Hotspur's Djed Spence has all the evidence he needs to prove he can help England beat Argentina in the World Cup semi-final.

The Three Lions take on La Seleccion on Wednesday, with one side set to meet Spain in the World Cup final, which takes place in New York on 19 July.

Thomas Tuchel will have another important decision to make ahead of the game, especially with the full-back debacle.

Ever since the Three Lions announced their team for the tournament, there has been controversy around the chosen left-back and right backs, including Spence.

However, the Spurs man has started to turn heads, especially after his 34-minute appearance in the quarter-final win over Norway.

Now, Spence could play a big part in helping England reach the final, and Tuchel has all the evidence he needs to know the Tottenham star can stop Lionel Messi in his tracks.

What happened when Djed Spence played Lionel Messi before?

Messi has never played England in a competitive match, despite playing for Argentina for over 20 years.

The 39-year-old missed his only previous chance to feature against the Three Lions in 2005, when he was unable to play due to injury.

Many England players have never had the chance to play against the player who many refer to as the "GOAT", but Spence has proved he can stop him.

After being loaned out to Ligue 1 side Rennes, Spence started in the French side's 2-0 win over Messi and PSG on 19 March, 2023.

The 25-year-old kept a clean sheet, three points, and earned a 7.5 FotMob rating, whereas Messi only picked up a 7.2 score.

The England international had a 94 per cent passing accuracy in the match, but also won all of his duels in the air, too.

Spence won seven out of his 10 ground duels, while Messi only won 44 per cent of his own, being dispossessed on three occasions.

The former Middlesbrough man made three out-and-out defensive contributions in the match and was part of a backline that held PSG easily in their own backyard.

Interestingly, Spence missed a "big chance" for Rennes, but has since improved plenty, and may be able to halt Messi, this time against his Argentina side.

Tuchel should start him. But if he does, Tottenham may fear losing the versatile full-back even more.

The latest on Djed Spence's possible Tottenham exit

Spence has racked up 223 minutes at the World Cup so far, and is likely to make an appearance against Messi either from the start, or off the bench, given he's played in each of England's six games at the tournament so far.

He's proved an asset at both ends of the pitch, making a total of 26 defensive contributions so far, from what have been mainly cameo appearances.

However, Spurs may fear losing him due to these impressive performances.

Tottenham News understands that while Everton are keen on signing Spence, he's fully focused on the task at hand with England right now.

The player could move on, but it's likely that his future will be resolved one way or another, only once he returns to N17.