Harry Winks could be in line for a surprise recall to the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI this weekend as the north Londoners return to Premier League action in Sunday’s late kick-off against Leeds United.
Spurs have got through the international break relatively unscathed with only Cristian Romero a fresh injury problem but there are doubts over Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and that could prove troublesome as Oliver Skipp will miss the encounter through suspension.
Antonio Conte may well have to turn to the forgotten Englishman in a desperate bid to field an engine room that can compete with the high levels of intensity and press that Marcelo Bielsa demands from his team.
Without Skipp or Hojbjerg, it seems plausible that Winks is next in line, with players like Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso more accustomed to an advanced midfield role.
The 25-year-old academy graduate’s time in N17 has gone stale as he now finds himself at a career crossroad – some reports suggest that he’s looking for a temporary exit in January, whilst in the summer, the club were supposedly open to selling him, with a fee of £40m mooted by The Times.
Winks was once likened to two Spanish legends of the game and described as “perfect” by ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino during an interview with the Evening Standard.
“Harry has the profile of the perfect midfield player,” he said “His characteristics are perfect. When we talk about midfielders like Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta, he’s like this type of player. He has this capacity but he needs to take my words in a very positive way — he needs a lot of work.”
That was back in September 2018.
Since then, over the last 18 months, Winks has started just ten times in the Premier League and has fallen out of the England reckoning under Gareth Southgate, with his last appearance being one off the bench during the Three Lions’ 4-0 win over Iceland back in November 2020.
Both Nuno Santo and Jose Mourinho froze him out, as evident above, and whilst he’s only played 17 minutes since the Italian’s arrival earlier this month, the £18m-rated dud could be handed one major lifeline – perhaps his last before January – this weekend.
Winks will need to impress to stand a chance at salvaging his Spurs career.
AND in other news, Conte handed Harry Kane boost as future claim emerges…
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