Spence Flops on First Inter Start as Stones and Jones Remain Sidelined in English Trio Stalemate
Spence's Slow Start Continues as Inter's English Experiment Stalls
Inter's much-trumpeted English summer signings have yet to leave their mark on the 2026-27 season, and the picture looks no brighter after Djed Spence's first competitive start for the club ended in a subdued 59th-minute substitution.
The 26-year-old former Tottenham defender, a €35m arrival in the summer window, was handed his first Inter start in Wednesday's 1-0 Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk. It was a chance to justify the considerable fee, but the performance did little to convince the watching critics.
Inter coach Cristian Chivu had been clear about the reasoning behind the selection. "We chose him to give us pace on the counter and defensive cover against their two wide players who are quick and technically gifted," Chivu explained at full-time.
Gazzetta dello Sport, however, saw little evidence of those qualities materialising, noting there was "little sign of that, either in the Champions League match or, more generally, during Spence's 88 minutes on the pitch" so far this season.
A Fledgling Inter Career So Far
Spence has featured three times across all competitions for the Nerazzurri — two of those appearances coming in the Champions League and one in Serie A. His delayed start to life in Milan followed a disrupted pre-season; he had missed the opening six games of the campaign while working to regain match fitness.
His introduction to Italian football has been slow, but Spence remains the only one of Inter's three English summer recruits currently available to Chivu.
Stones and Jones Still Working Separately
John Stones and Curtis Jones are both continuing their rehabilitation away from the main group, and Gazzetta reports that neither is expected back soon.
Jones, signed from Liverpool, has been sidelined with a thigh injury that has cost him the last four matches in all competitions. Inter are hopeful he can resume training next week and could be available for the Champions League meeting with Feyenoord on November 3. That timeline would rule him out of the next three Serie A fixtures, against Fiorentina, Venezia and the Milan derby.
According to the same report, Inter expect a similar recovery timeline for injured defender Benjamin Pavard.
Stones, who left Manchester for Milan in the summer, is dealing with a hamstring problem and has now missed the last five games. Inter hope to see the former Manchester City centre-back back in the squad for the clash with Como on November 8, just before the international break.
Pressure Building on Inter's Rebuild
The wait for all three Englishmen to be fit and firing at once has become a lingering subplot to Inter's season. For now, the Scudetto holders must make do with a partial return — and a Spence performance that did little to quiet the doubters.