‘A tinge of him not being happy’ – Rio Ferdinand urges Spurs star to learn from Ndombele’s example

Rio Ferdinand has stated that Harry Winks should look at Tanguy Ndombele as an example on how to establish himself as one of the most important players in the Tottenham team after being sidelined for long periods.

It seemed until a few months ago that Winks would struggle to get much game time at Spurs this season, with the midfielder even being linked with a move away from the club in the January transfer window.

However, the 24-year-old has played his way back into the side and featured plenty of times over the last month, not just in the cup competitions but also in the Premier League.

Winks put in another accomplished display in Tottenham’s 4-1 win over Wycombe yesterday and Jose Mourinho admitted after the game that he was delighted with how the midfielder was always looking to pass the ball forward.

Although the England international seemed delighted with the win and his performance, he admitted in his post-match interview that he is not completely happy to be in and out of the side.

Reacting to Winks’ interview, Rio Ferdinand told BT Sport after the live coverage of the game on television (as relayed by Football.London): “He’s got no better example in front of him than [Tanguy] Ndombele. He has been one of their better players in recent weeks and he was out of the team for long periods when Jose came in,”

“He’s shown that if you fight, show the right attitude and the right character, along with quality, you’ll get an opportunity in this Tottenham side.

“Harry is made of the right stuff, he’s a Spurs fan, he wants to play here, wants to be here, he’s the right kind of character to have in the place but, as you can see, there’s a tinge of him not being happy with not being a starter or a regular.

“He’s someone who can see a pass, he’s got clean feet and I’m sure he will be asking the manager ‘what more do you need from me’ and he’ll be trying to work at it.”

When asked what Winks needs to do to establish himself as a regular in the Tottenham team, Ferdinand responded: “I think it’s a question Jose needs to be asked. Harry is a player who likes to get on the ball, likes to keep things moving and likes to control the pace of the game. I think Jose likes players like [Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg, who comes on and is a presence but is also very good tactically and he does a specific job for the team.

“Whether Winks can do that type of role for this Tottenham team remains to be seen.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Whether or not Winks establishes himself as a regular in the team, I still expect him to play at least 15 to 20 games until the end of the season since we are still competing on all four fronts. It is up to the England international to stake his claim in the side. Performances like the one he put in yesterday, albeit against sub-standard opposition, will do his prospects of getting regular game time no harm.

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