Gareth Southgate lauds Harry Winks after Tottenham ace’s England debut

Follow us on Google Discover

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks made his England debut in their 1-0 victory over Lithuania.

Harry Winks

Gareth Southgate has told Sky Sports that Harry Winks can be very proud of his performance after the Tottenham ace made his England debut in their unconvincing win over Lithuania.

Southgate’s men had already booked their place in Russia for next year’s World Cup going into the game, and that prompted the Three Lions boss to make a number of changes, including handing Winks his senior debut.

It was not the most impressive performance from the Englishmen and they were relying on a Harry Kane penalty to secure the three points to complete the qualifying campaign, but Southgate was full of praise for the 21-year-old’s international bow.

“I was really pleased [with Winks], I thought he showed great maturity, he didn’t look fazed by wearing an England shirt,” he told Sky Sports.

Gareth Southgate

“His quality on the ball was good, he was the one that found forward passes and he looked to play forward. I thought he could be very proud of his debut.”

Winks’ call-up seemed to receive some criticism from fans of clubs who boasted players who perhaps may have felt harshly done by not to receive a call-up.

So the youngster’s display will have undoubtedly silenced a lot of his doubters as he shone on what proved to be an underwhelming night for England.

And Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping that Winks gains a tremendous amount of confidence ahead of his return to Spurs as he now seeks to prove himself worthy of more chances for both Tottenham and England.