Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has warned that he doesn’t want to burn out youngster Harry Winks following his return from injury and that he needs plenty of rest.
The 21-year-old midfielder missed the back-end of last season with an ankle injury, but has come back into the side for the new campaign.
He has had to be patient with his opportunities and has made six appearances so far this season across all competitions, including 90 minutes against Apoel Nicosia on Tuesday in the Champions League.
Winks is a product of the North London club’s academy and has become a first teamer under Pochettino.
The England Under-21 international will hope to keep his place in the starting XI on Saturday when Spurs travel to Huddersfield in the Premier League.
Both Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama have been ruled out of the weekend clash, meaning that the young central midfielder may feel he is in with a shot of retaining his place.
However, Pochettino has claimed that he is being careful with Winks this season and hinted that he may need rest in the Huddersfield clash
“We have to be careful. After a lot of time out we need to provide him with a good rest,” Pochettino said in his pre-match press conference, as quoted by Football London.
OPINION
If Pochettino doesn’t feel that Winks can play twice in a week then it’s likely he will be back on the bench for Huddersfield. The central midfielder is a technically gifted player and has all the potential to break into the starting XI on a permanent basis. He showed last year his ability when he broke into the senior set-up and against Apoel looked very assured in possession. Winks offers a different edge to some of his midfield rivals in the Spurs squad and his possession-based style makes him a great weapon for Pochettino to call upon.