Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks is hoping to play a part in their Premier League run-in as he nears a return to first-team training, according to the Evening Standard.
The newspaper report that the 22-year-old ace does not require surgery on a recurring ankle injury that has hampered him during the second-half of his breakthrough season for Spurs.
The Standard claim that Winks is hoping to return to training with his teammates as soon as possible after returning from a specialist treatment centre in Qatar.
It is said however that manager Mauricio Pochettino will be cautious with Winks, with the Argentine always insisting there is a massive difference between training fitness and match fitness.
Winks looked nailed on for a place in the England squad after his early season form for Tottenham, and manager Gareth Southgate is said to remain a big admirer, having followed his rehabilitation closely.
Spurs have four games left in their season after losing the FA Cup semi-final to Manchester United at the weekend, with games against Watford, West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle and Leicester still to come.
OPINION
Having Winks back in contention will be a boost for Tottenham, but it still remains unlikely that he will appear for the first-team again this season. With so few games remaining in the campaign there is little point in Pochettino risking Winks’ long-term fitness by playing him in those upcoming fixtures. Winks will still hold hope of making the England World Cup squad, but even though Southgate remains a fan, that is also unlikely after his recent issues. However, an injury to Liverpool’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may just have opened up a spot in the squad, which Winks may well be eyeing up.