Harry Winks is developing into a key player both for England and Tottenham Hotspur.
Harry Winks is back in favour, not just for Tottenham Hotspur but England, too.
The talented young midfielder endured an injury-hit start to 2018 but has recovered his form and fitness in recent weeks to start a number of high-profile clashes for both club and country.
Winks earned rave reviews for his performance in England’s famous 3-2 win away at Spain on Monday night, the 23-year-old standing out against Sergio Busquetts, Thiago Alcantara and co thanks to his trademark bursts of energy and intelligent distribution.
But, while Winks has plenty of fans up and down the country, it seems that Tottenham great Chris Waddle is yet to be convinced.
“Winks doesn’t offer anything different to England. He’s a great player with a lot of prospect, but he’s not the missing link England need,” Waddle, who made 62 appearances for the Three Lions, told Sportingbet.
“I’m not sure Winks is as creative as everyone thinks. England don’t have a player like (Christian) Eriksen, (Luka) Modric or (Ivan) Rakitic that can drive the ball forward and unlock doors.
“Winks is a hardworking tidy footballer. But he’s not like a (Steven) Gerrard, who gets the ball, passes and scores. He may grow into that role but no one has seen him play enough to make that prediction.”
In fairness, Waddle may have a point. Winks has a lot of strings to his bow, but there remains a niggling fear that he could be a jack of all trades rather than a midfielder capable of specialising in a key area.
But the Hemel Hempsted-born ace has a lot of time on his side and can only improve by working under Mauricio Pochettino in North London.
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