Add as preferred source on Google

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho claimed on social media that Harry Winks was the worthy winner of the man of the match award against Stoke City.

Spurs won 3-1 away at Championship side Stoke on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, as goals from Gareth Bale, Ben Davies and Harry Kane saw them qualify for the next round.

They will now face another Championship side in Brentford as they host them in the semi-finals, while in the other side of the draw Manchester United will face Manchester City.

It’s a well-known fact that Spurs are desperate to end their 12-year wait without a trophy this season and they are now two games away from winning the League Cup.

Mourinho opted to name a fairly strong XI for yesterday’s quarter-final and that included star centre-forward Harry Kane, but it was one of the fringe players that got the nod for the man of the match prize.

Winks, 24, came into the starting XI for the cup fixture and managed an assist for the opening goal with his cross, plus he kept the tempo of the game with his passing from midfield.

The Spurs manager gave a simple one-word response on Instagram stating that the central midfielder “deserved” man of the match.

TRB’s View:

Winks is having a difficult season so far on an individual level, as he’s slipped down the pecking order in the centre of the park and is no longer a nailed-on starter under Mourinho.

But his midweek display should give him a small amount of confidence to try build on and the central midfielder has got the technical capability to be efficient in possession with forward passes.

His job to break back into the XI though looks steep, with the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Pierre-Emile Hobjerg all impressing so far in the opening few months of the season.