Djed Spence wears carbon-fibre mask at World Cup after broken jaw from Delap elbow

Djed Spence will again wear his custom-moulded carbon-fibre face mask when England face Norway in their World Cup quarter-final on Saturday, continuing a recovery from a broken jaw that has defined his tournament.

The 25-year-old Tottenham Hotspur full-back sustained the fracture in May after taking an elbow from Chelsea striker Liam Delap during a Premier League fixture. Medical staff estimated the injury would take around three months to fully heal, making the protective mask a necessity for Spence to participate in England’s summer campaign in North America at all.

Spence’s resilience was evident even before the tournament began. Just five days after the initial collision, he returned to play for Spurs, helping them secure a win over Everton that proved crucial to their top-flight survival. He has since carried that determination into the World Cup, featuring regularly in the group stage and coming off the bench in the knockout victory over Mexico.

Playing in the heat of a North American summer with a heavy carbon-fibre covering has not been without its challenges. Spence has acknowledged the discomfort, but said he worked hard in training to adapt to the gear before the competition kicked off. His attitude throughout has been notably upbeat — before the tournament he quipped: “Luckily I play football with my feet and not my jaw.”

England manager Thomas Tuchel has shown consistent faith in Spence despite a difficult domestic season, and with defensive depth tested by injuries across the squad, the masked full-back is expected to play a significant role against a physical Norway side in Saturday’s quarter-final.