Harry Winks revealed he once wrote a letter to Steven Gerrard as a child but never received a reply from the Liverpool legend. (talkSPORT)
The Spurs midfielder told the radio station that as a child he looked up to both Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard who both have influenced his style of play.
Winks, who came through the Spurs academy has gone on to play 134 times for the first team and cemented himself as a first-team regular alongside Moussa Sissoko last season.
Mauricio Pochettino rewarded the 23-year-old with a start in the Champions League final against Liverpool despite only recently returning to fitness after undergoing groin surgery.
“Both of them were players I looked up to,” Winks said of Gerrard and Lampard.
“[They played] similar positions to me and were absolutely fantastic for club and country.
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“Gerrard was always someone I looked up to a lot; he’s someone I actually wrote a letter to when I was younger.
Winks is a product of the Spurs youth system, making his Premier League debut in a 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool in 2016. (BBC)
“I was about seven or eight years old and I sat down with my mum, and I said, ‘mum, I want to write him a letter to get some advice on how to make it as a player and see if he writes back’.
“Obviously, I was young and naïve. He probably got so much fan mail it went straight in the bin!
“I messaged him saying: ‘Hi Steven, I’m a massive Tottenham fan and if you can give me any advice on what you do to get where you are today or give me some top tips?’
“I think I even asked if he could ever meet me! – ‘If you’re ever in Hemel come and meet me’.”
“But no… he never got back to me.”
Opinion
Winks’ rise from academy graduate to full England international has been a remarkable rise and there is no doubt that the upcoming season will see him grow as a player even further.
With Tanguy Ndombele likely to be playing alongside him with his energetic box-to-box performances, it is likely to allow Winks to do what he does best; get his foot on the ball and dictate the tempo of the game.
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