Did Harry Winks and Eric Dier prove there’s life after Dembele for Tottenham?

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England stars Harry Winks and Eric Dier might well have shown they can ease any blow of losing Mousa Dembele for Tottenham Hotspur.

The duo were selected to start by Gareth Southgate against Spain on Monday for the UEFA Nations League match, and both looked good in the engine room.

It was a brilliant performance by England in the first half. Winks and Dier worked hard to keep the home side at bay, as attacking stars Raheem Sterling Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane wreaked havoc up front.

The pair provided steel and control in the middle of the park.

That seemed to allow Ross Barkley to operate more freely and run with the ball.

Winks was making only his second appearance for the Three Lions, after making his debut against Lithuania a year ago.

Winks and Dier the way forward for Tottenham?

The midfielders looked good playing alongside one another for England. Perhaps it was evidence they can be the long-term pairing for Spurs.

There continues to be speculation over Mousa Dembele’s future.

The Belgian dynamo is into the final year of his contract and looks likely to leave the club in either the next window or next summer.

Juventus have previously been credited with interest in the player. The Sun have recently reported that Dembele is interested in moving to China.

It would be a big blow for Tottenham to lose such a consistent and effective player. However, Winks and Dier appear to have a good understanding of each other’s games and could be the way to go.

They are quite complementary of each other, with Winks the more technical and Dier the more combative.

Perhaps Mauricio Pochettino ought to deploy them together more often with Dembele set to depart.