Winks a shining light for future of Tottenham and England
Matthew WAS IT a light-bulb moment for English football? The instant when young players in this country woke up to the fact that, to get on in the game, they actually have to play.
If so, how ironic that the instigator should have spent the middle part of this week wrestling unsuccessfully with a standard 22mm bayonet fitting.
Harry Winks is one of the most grounded and self-deprecating footballers the country has produced in recent years.
Level-headed, instinctive, able to pick a pass with either foot, he has been dubbed ‘Little Iniesta’ by Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino and is seen by all at the club as the poster boy of the new academy.
England boss Gareth Southgate has him very much in his sights ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovakia.
But as Winks happily admits himself, he is rubbish at DIY.
“I tried to change a light bulb on Wednesday and I didn’t have any luck whatsoever,” he said. “It was
one of those ones you have to push and twist at the same time. I’ll wait for my dad to come back from holiday!”
He admits this one rare failing unapologetically.
Habitually, Winks wears an impish, confident and engaging smile and if you ask anybody at the club, the response is unilateral: Winks is a good lad.
This week, he was at Wembley ahead of tomorrow’s game against Chelsea, putting volunteer staff from Tottenham’s community programme through their paces at a concourse kiosk. It is a new era for the club but Winks is no stranger to the big stage. With just eight minutes’ Premier League experience in November 2016, he was thrown into the final stages of a blood-and-thunder north London derby.
That evening, after helping secure a draw, he reported for England Under-21 duty at St George’s Park.
“The Arsenal game was being shown on the screen while we were having lunch the next day,” Winks recalled. “Everyone cheered when I came on and then when I did a bad touch I’d get a bit of banter.
“It was nice, though, to get recognition from the other lads.
“With England, your team-mates come up and say, ‘It was brilliant to see you play the other day’.” Chelsea duo Nathaniel Chalobah