Harry Winks struggled to justify Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho’s decision to start him last night.
Winks was left out of the squad entirely on Monday night as Spurs secured a narrow 1-0 win away to Burnley in the Premier League.
Mourinho brought him back into the starting XI for last night’s Europa League trip to Antwerp, but it didn’t go well for a host of Tottenham players – and Winks was one of them.
The 24-year-old lasted 90 minutes on a night where the Portuguese made five substitutions – and four of them at the half-time break.
But despite doing his bit defensively, Winks struggled with the sort of penetrative passing that the visitors needed to break down the Belgians’ stubborn defensive line.
And former Arsenal man Stewart Robson has told ESPN that he doesn’t see what the England international brings to Mourinho’s side, claiming he was far too pedestrian for his liking.
He said: “I’m not sure what he gives Spurs. I think he’s too square with his passing. He goes backwards. He keeps the ball, but there’s no penetration with his passing and he was one of the major problems with Spurs’ performance today.”
According to WhoScored, Winks, who managed 92 touches of the ball, did fashion two goalscoring chances for the North Londoners, but Robson is right in saying that he doesn’t give enough from midfield and that’s one of the reasons why Mourinho probably left him out at Turf Moor.
This was a big chance for the Lilywhites’ academy player to make a statement to Mourinho, who has been playing the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele ahead of him this season, but the player failed to make much of an impression.
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