Pundit claims academy product’s exit would be a big loss to Tottenham

Former Coventry City and Leeds United forward Noel Whelan has warned Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho that selling Harry Winks might be a major mistake.

Winks, who has been a mainstay in the Spurs midfield when fit for the last couple of years, has found himself falling behind in the pecking order under Mourinho with the Spurs boss seemingly preferring the likes of Moussa Sissoko and Eric Dier over the 23-year-old.

Winks has even been linked with an exit from Tottenham in recent weeks with Manchester United being touted as a possible destination for the midfielder (The Athletic).

Whelan suggested that while it was only natural that Mourinho would have his own ideas of the type of defensive midfielders he prefers, he insisted that selling someone like Winks who has come through the academy could prove a major loss for the Champions League finalists.

When asked if selling Winks was unthinkable, Whelan told Football Insider: “Yeah he’s got time on his side, age on his side and we’ve already seen that he’s a quality player.

“He’s already been in the England set-up, I’m not sure that one would be a good move, but new managers come in and have different opinions.

“No matter how young or how good they may be in the future, he’s a player who Mourinho may feel he already has better players than in his ranks, for that defensive position.

“You need to watch this space, but he’ll be a big loss to Tottenham, he’s come through the academy and you need players who know what the club are about.”

Spurs Web Opinion

In fairness, Winks has been inconsistent right from the start of the season and hasn’t gone on to become the player many of us hoped he would be. However, he still has a lot of time on his side and I certainly wouldn’t put it against him to play himself back into the side. Selling him should be completely out of the question for the moment.

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