Leicester midfielder James Maddison full of praise for Tottenham’s Harry Winks

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Leicester City playmaker James Maddison says that Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks is among the best in the Premier League in terms of poking holes in a packed defence.

£60 million-rated (Sky Sports) Maddison was tasked with shutting down £50,000-a-week (Spotrac) Winks when Spurs travelled to the King Power Stadium last month and was blown away by his quality.

As per Sky Sports, he said: “If you’re not sliding across quick enough to shut those passing lines, players will just play it through. Who’s the best at getting it through? Jorginho is very good at it. Harry Winks is another good example, a very good passer of the ball.

“The job against Spurs was to get into a narrow three, force it wide, stop the danger players getting it through the lines. When we were doing that quite well against Spurs, Harry Winks could get it through, with a quick two-touch wrap pass. That’s the quality of opposition we play against. There isn’t a moment where you can switch off.”

TBR’s View – Winks is still learning but Maddison’s comments show the quality he has

Winks splits opinion. Some feel that he could be the answer for England in a deeper playmaker role, if Gareth Southgate wants to go with a ball player there instead of the more combative Declan Rice.

Others feel he is a safe, conservative passer without the legs or quality to really shine at the highest level. Games like last night’s against Bayern Munich tend to strengthen that argument.

But Winks is still only 23 and he’s learning his trade in the engine room. Being exposed against one of the very best sides in European football shouldn’t be a source of shame.

He just needs to learn from those mistakes. Maddison’s words show exactly how good he is at playing in tight spaces when he’s on his game and he can go on and nail down a spot in Tottenham’s midfield for years to come.