Harry Kane shows true colours in emotional speech to Djed Spence in England dressing room

Harry Kane offered Djed Spence some heart-warming words (Image: England/Twitter)

Harry Kane hailed Djed Spence for his determination in an emotional speech after the Tottenham star’s England debut. The defender made history on Tuesday evening as he became the Three Lions’ first-ever Muslim player to take to the pitch for the senior side.

And it was a dream outing for Spence as England secured an emphatic 5-0 success against Serbia in Belgrade. Following the game, Three Lions captain Kane offered him his congratulations in an emotional dressing room speech.

He said: “We had a new debut today. I asked to do this because I saw this player three to four years ago at Tottenham and he had to go through a lot.

“He had to keep his head up, he had to work hard and now he's an England player, so I'm a little bit emotional because I know how much it takes to get here.”

Clearly overcome by emotion, Kane added: “And I saw what it was like and it was tough for you. So credit to you, your family, everyone involved... you deserve this one.”

Kane then embraced Spence, who replied: “I'm grateful to make my debut. (I'm) over the moon. It's been a long journey, but finally made it here, but God is great man, thank you.”

Djed Spence made his England debut vs Serbia (Image: Getty Images)

Spence’s England call-up represents another landmark moment for the former Middlesbrough man. He has enjoyed a standout 12 months, having won the Europa League with Spurs , while he has also shone in the opening weeks of the new season.

And England boss Thomas Tuchel suggested they were main reasons behind his call-up. The German said: “He had a very good end of the season with Tottenham and a very impressive start of the season. He was impressively good against Paris in the European Super Cup final.

“He came up against a lot of quality on his side, against a lot of speed, handled it impressively well and kept on going with Tottenham in the Premier League start. He can play both sides, he plays very intense, he is in shape and he deserves to be called up.”

Meanwhile, Tottenham boss Thomas Frank was also full of praise for Spence. Speaking before the international break, he said: “Wow. How good is that? Big credit to Djed. He truly deserves it. What a journey to have it at 24, 25 years old this year.”

“Being called up? I don’t think many saw that coming. He had a good end to last season. He had a top pre-season. He played very well in the three games against Paris Saint-Germain, Burnley and Man City, really giving a lot to the team. I’m so happy for him.”

Spence will now return to Tottenham duty ahead of this weekend's clash with West Ham United.