Into his third full season at Tottenham, Harry Winks is yet to fully cement his position for the club. Just as he seems to have finally grabbed the brass rings, something pulls it a notch away. The one-cap England international has played a mere 134 minutes for Tottenham in the league so far this term, not helped however by an ankle injury he suffered at the back end of last season which saw him miss almost the entire second half of the 2017/18 season and, quite possibly, the World Cup in Russia.
So Close Yet So Far For Harry Winks
Glimpses of Quality
It was at this time last year when Harry Winks was the talk of the town. He put in a pair of sparkling performances against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in last year’s Champions League. This even prompted an England call-up for the Tottenham man. There is no doubt Spurs missed him in their two knockout ties with Juventus where they were eliminated. Ahead for much of the 180 total minutes, he would’ve undoubtedly helped see out the tie and brought some much-needed bite and steel to the Spurs midfield.
Winks’ European performances brought in some uncalled for comparisons with Barcelona legends Xavi and Iniesta. Manager Pochettino himself has previously stated that Winks has the potential to be ‘the perfect midfielder’. He would even go as far as nicknaming him his ‘Little Iniesta’.
“Yes, to hear that is lovely for me. Obviously, I feel honoured to even be associated with those two names but I think the manager touched on it as well, it’s still only potential at this stage,” Winks commented on the comparisons.
“But it’s important that I don’t stop and rest on my laurels, that I keep working hard, keep striving to improve and that’s my mindset anyway.” he added.
Redemption
The now 22-year old is expected to start tonight’s Champions League game against Barcelona at Wembley. Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping for a repeat of his Spanish heroics against Madrid at the same stage last season. However, a start could be a tad early for Winks seeing as his only 90 minutes so far this season have been in the Carabao Cup against Watford last week.
Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Moussa Dembele are all doubts for the clash against an out-of-form Barcelona side tonight. There cannot be a better time to play Barcelona who have drawn two and lost one of their last three.
A big performance against Barcelona should go a long way in helping Winks regain his place in the first team and it would go some way to making a return to the back of the mind of England boss Gareth Southgate.
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