Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that Harry Winks will miss their Premier League clash with Everton after having an injection on his ankle.
Young pass master Winks has not played for Spurs since a late cameo against Southampton on Boxing Day, but has been on the bench for their last two Premier League games.
He was left out of the squad for their FA Cup win against AFC Wimbledon, and it has now been revealed that the 21-year-old has sustained an ankle injury.
Ben Pearce, a reliable journalist who covers Spurs for Yahoo Sports and ESPN, revealed on his Twitter account that Winks had been playing through the injury:
#thfc team news: Harry Winks is now out of action with his ankle problem, having previously said he was trying to play with it and shake it off. Danny Rose and Toby Alderweireld are still sidelined too.
— Ben Pearce (@BenPearceSpurs) January 12, 2018
Pochettino then told the press at the pre-Everton media conference on Friday that Winks had undergone an injection on the ankle, and was a definite absence for the Toffees clash.
Pearce, who was in attendance, quoted Pochettino on his Twitter account:
#thfc Pochettino on Harry Winks: "He got an injection on Monday. Still he’s not training with the group, and we’ll see next week if he can join the group and start to train again. But for tomorrow he’s not ready.”
— Ben Pearce (@BenPearceSpurs) January 12, 2018
OPINION
This helps to explain why Winks has been so out of favour in the last several matches for Spurs. The youngster was outclassed during their clash against league leaders Manchester City, a game in which he started, and has not really been in contention since. However, this ankle injury has now been revealed to be the main reason behind those absences, and it is good news for Spurs fans that the club have begun to properly treat the complaint. His absence against Everton will be a blow, but Spurs should cope, with Mousa Dembele, Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier all options in the centre of midfield.