Harry Winks has claimed he was playing for Tottenham while carrying ankle injury.
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks has told the London Evening Standard that he was playing for Spurs while carrying an ankle injury, as he finally overcomes a troublesome period on the sidelines.
Winks, 22, has failed to feature for Spurs in the Premier League since Boxing Day, with his only appearance in all competitions coming in the 2-0 FA Cup win over Newport County earlier this month.
The Tottenham academy product has suffered two ankle injuries over the past year, with Winks’ desperation to play seeing him continue to feature despite the second injury. However, he was forced to stop after Boxing Day.
Winks spoke of his frustrations with the injuries and how difficult it has been watching his Tottenham teammates impress on the pitch while he was working hard to return to full fitness.
“It’s tough,” Winks said. “I had one ankle injury, then I came back, and I got another one. I was playing with it and I got to the point where I had to pull out. It wasn’t easy.
“The most difficult thing has been watching the lads play and do really well while I wasn’t involved, so the Newport game was a really good time for me to get back out there. My ankle felt good and everything felt fine so I am ready to push on now.”
Winks was a part of the squad that travelled to Turin on Tuesday night, but he did not make the bench as Spurs earned a 2-2 draw against the Italian champions in the Champions League Round of 16 clash.
However, the one-time England international could return to the Spurs side on Sunday afternoon as the north Londoners travel to Spotland to face Rochdale in the fifth round of the FA Cup – with Mauricio Pochettino expected to make changes.
Winks will be hoping he can do whatever he can to impress, with little time to show Gareth Southgate what he is capable of ahead of this summer’s World Cup in Russia.
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