- By Andrew Aloia & Charlie Slater
- BBC Sport
image source, Getty Images
Harry Winks has scored twice for Leicester City this season – both winners, at QPR and West Brom.
Harry Winks says he has never given up on an England recall as he enjoys a Championship career renaissance with leaders Leicester City.
The former Tottenham midfielder, 28, has won the last of his 10 caps in 2020 and was on loan at Sampdoria last term as they were relegated from Serie A.
Asked if he still felt he could play for England again in the future, the defensive midfielder said: “I’d like to think so. But the most important thing is to show it. It’s not about thinking, it’s about showing it .
βThis year has been a good platform for me to go out and show what my strengths are, what I can bring to the team and try to have a run of games where I can play regularly and show that.
“Right now the most important thing for me is Leicester and the club getting into the Premier League, winning as many games as possible and, personally, playing well.
“That’s all I’ll think about now and until the end of the season. Then next season we can tackle it again with different goals and different objectives.”
image source, Getty Images
Harry Winks has scored one goal in 10 appearances for England
“The last few years at Spurs have been difficult”
Winks, speaking ahead of Friday’s first leg against Leeds United, has started almost twice as many games for Leicester this season than he managed in his previous two campaigns in England with Tottenham.
He started for Spurs in their Champions League final defeat to Liverpool in 2019, and while he kept his place for much of the following campaign, he eventually fell out of favor at his boyhood club.
Winks admits he found his final years at Tottenham difficult and it wasn’t until he moved to Leicester and played under Italian manager Enzo Maresca that he rediscovered his love for the game.
“Maybe the last two or three years of my time at Spurs were tough, but before that it was amazing and I loved every minute of it,” Winks said.
βI learned a lot from it and it definitely develops your character when you don’t play as regularly and you don’t feel as important.
βBut again I wouldn’t change it for anything, I’ve learned so much along the way in my career and it makes you enjoy the heights more when you’ve been through it.
βI probably lost a bit of love for it the last couple of years when I wasn’t playing and I was left out of the team and things like that.
“It’s hard to find that love for it, but once you make the brave decision to leave and go to Italy and try to find it there, like I did, and come here… now it’s probably the most I’ve enjoyed never football in my career.”
He winks at learning from Maresca
image source, Getty Images
Harry Winks celebrates Leicester’s recent win against Sheffield Wednesday with manager Enzo Maresca
It is at the King Power Stadium and under Maresca – an assistant manager who won the Treble at Manchester City last season – that Winks says he has learned to thrive again.
His influence on a team making a relentless run at the top of the Championship was summed up recently when his Italian boss interrupted an interview the midfielder was giving to BBC Radio Leicester to say “without this player, it would have been impossible this season.” .
“It’s all I’ve ever really wanted in my career to be honest,” Winks said of the appreciation and loyalty Maresca has shown him.
“I’m 28 years old this year, but I feel like I’ve learned so much this year – more than I ever have in my career,” he said.
“And I keep learning every day – when you see football in a different way, the way the gaffer teaches it, I find it really exciting and enjoyable.”