Rooney believes Tuchel's 'wake up' shout at Spence was a deliberate message to squad and media

Wayne Rooney believes Thomas Tuchel’s now-viral training-ground exchange with Djed Spence was entirely calculated, with the former England captain arguing the England head coach seized on an open media session to deliver a public statement of intent ahead of the World Cup group game against Ghana.

Footage of Tuchel shouting “Djed, Djed, Djed — wake up! Wake up!” at the Tottenham right-back spread rapidly across social media, prompting widespread speculation about the pair’s relationship. Rooney, speaking as a pundit on the BBC before kick-off, was unequivocal in his reading of the moment.

“I think that was intended,” Rooney said. “I think for Thomas Tuchel, you have the open session, you have the 15 minutes which the press are allowed in for, and very rarely do you see the manager coaching the team in that. You see them doing the box playing stuff, but I think that was intended — and that was a message sent to the media and to the fans, but also to his players.”

Spence himself appeared untroubled by the episode. Speaking to talkSPORT, the 24-year-old defended his manager’s methods and framed the exchange as a sign of Tuchel’s high standards rather than any personal criticism.

“It’s normal. He’s a great manager. He wants the best from his players. He demands high standards and for this tournament, we need to be ready, we need to be on it,” Spence said. “Every session needs to be of the highest quality. That’s what he demands. It’s good. I wouldn’t be the only one he says it to. It’s part of the game.”

Spence added that Tuchel had fostered a strong collective spirit within the squad. “It’s like what he always says, we’re building a family, we’ve built a brotherhood within the team, everyone has one dream, one brain. I think everyone is on the same path. We can do special things.”

The right-back had come off the bench in England’s opening group game against Croatia before being handed a starting berth against Ghana in place of Nico O’Reilly. His afternoon was eventful even before kick-off, as cameras captured him declining to shake the hand of Ghana’s Thomas Partey during the pre-match formalities.

On the pitch, England endured a frustrating first half against the Black Stars, failing to register a single shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.