What Role Will Harry Winks Be Playing for Tottenham in 12 Months' Time?
The recent international break was a good one for Tottenham Hotspur's England representatives.
Harry Kane and Eric Dier scored in a 3-2 win over Germany which also saw Danny Rose make his debut and the precocious Dele Alli shine once more. Kyle Walker was one of the team's better performers in the subsequent loss to the Netherlands.
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A day after the Germany game, Harry Winks captained England's under-20s in a 2-1 loss to Canada. Though a disappointing result, this latest milestone in the midfielder's young career added to the reasons to be optimistic about his own prospects in the next 12 months and beyond.
The efficient-minded Winks' progression thus far has been and should continue to be a fascinating case study for Tottenham's development of young players, particularly in relation to how they are brought into the first-team fold.
The process has shown signs of altering slightly in the last couple of years, first under academy man turned head coach Tim Sherwood's brief spell in charge and since by current incumbent Mauricio Pochettino.
While current first-teamers raised and developed via the youth team like Tom Carroll, Harry Kane, Ryan Mason and Danny Rose received the majority of their initial competitive senior experiences out on loan, some of those who have followed are being kept in closer view.
Nabil Bentaleb was the first notable example here, making his senior debut in the Premier League under Sherwood in December 2013 (against Pochettino's Southampton). After making their own bows with their actual employers, too, Winks and Josh Onomah have been kept around rather than loaned out—for the time being, anyway.
It is not a cast-iron policy.
A spell elsewhere has been deemed the best course of action for young hopefuls including Nathan Oduwa (Rangers and currently Colchester United) and Connor Ogilvie (at Stevenage). Alex Pritchard was on the verge of first-team contention but has since headed out again after an injury layoff left his chances of playing slim (unfortunately, his time at West Bromwich Albion is not proving productive).
But, in line with the faith he has shown in the likes of Kane and Mason, Pochettino clearly believes that for some—possibly those viewed as having a better chance of making the grade—he and his staff are best equipped for handling the transition to first-team duties.
Even then, this is not run to a fixed schedule, something Winks, 20, is finding out.
Where 18-year-old Onomah has already been a frequent go-to option off the bench and occasional starter, Winks' integration is playing out more gradually.
The older academy product made his debut off the bench in the Europa League against Partizan Belgrade last season and has featured twice more in the competition this campaign. In between times Winks has played for Spurs' U21 side and was also chosen along with Shayon Harrison to help make up the numbers when the England senior squad practiced at the Hotspur Way training ground in November.
Onomah has benefited from there being more scope for alterations in the less crowded attacking midfield areas. For Winks, the engine room of central midfield is less set up for tweaking and is already comfortably manned by a steadier rotation of personnel.
Speaking about Alli in the aftermath of his impressive England performances, Pochettino gave an insight into Tottenham's patience accommodating different rates of development:
"We always try to provide them the tools to improve and then always is up to them...and then how they develop in the time is always up to the player.
Some players show maturity like him [Alli] and develop quicker than another maybe. [It does] Not mean that Dele Alli has more potential than another younger. But maybe another name, another younger player needs more time to develop his quality on the pitch.
"
In March Winks was awarded a new contract until 2019 (see below). Just eight months after signing his previous extension, it indicates Spurs are looking to give him the time he needs.
Winks is unlikely to get any substantial playing time before the end of the season given Spurs' ongoing Premier League title challenge. The next opportunities to impress should come in pre-season when he could benefit from the later returns of team-mates involved in international competition.
His most substantial showcase in a Spurs shirt until now was in last summer's Audi Cup friendly win over AC Milan.
Winks tidily patrolled the midfield areas, simply and effectively maintaining possession while also helping prompt attacks. As he grew more confident he began pushing forward himself and helped set up Tom Carroll's goal.
Up until recently, awareness of Winks' mixture of creativity and calculated expenditure has been largely confined to Tottenham circles. But then the aforementioned England U20 performance drew some national exposure when Times writer Henry Winter singled Winks' effort out for praise, which the north London club itself highlighted on their official website.
The player is unsurprisingly keen for more opportunities to prove he can hold his own among Spurs' more experienced players and at a tougher level.
"I train every day with the players, I do exactly the same programme as them and I’m on the same schedule," he told the club's website in March. "Naturally, I’d love more minutes but I do believe the training and the hard work I’m putting in means I’m playing my part every day."
The competition for places makes it particularly difficult to pinpoint when Winks may get that shot. Even with a strong summer behind him, he will not automatically displace members of a midfield that has impressed so much this season.
But with his already encouraging level of proficiency shaping the team's play and the clear faith in him at Tottenham, it does not feel overly optimistic to predict he will be a regular contributor by this time in 12 months.
Pochettino's reign thus far has arguably been defined by the academy men who have forced his hand. If the elegant Winks can begin to back up his potential, he may be one of the next to establish a fertile niche.
Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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