SOCCER: England's Spence to wear protective mask at World Cup due to broken jaw

England defender Djed Spence said he will need to wear a protective mask while playing at the World Cup after suffering a broken jaw in a Premier League match last month.

The Tottenham Hotspur player sustained the injury during a collision with Chelsea striker Liam Delap and later wore a mask in Tottenham’s final match of the season against Everton.

“It’s a little bit uncomfortable, but it is what it is,” Spence told reporters on Monday.

“I’ve got a broken jaw, so I have to wear it throughout the tournament. It’s something I will have to get used to. It’ll be three months until it’s fully healed, so it’s a long time.”

Spence, who played through to the end of the match against Chelsea, said he was never seriously concerned about being sidelined because of the injury.

“It was painful, but luckily I play football with my feet and not my jaw, so I was all good,” the 25-year-old added.

England will open their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Dallas on June 17, followed by matches against Ghana and Panama. -Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters