Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate Harry Winks has issued a fitness update after suffering a torrid time through injury in 2018.

Winks, 22, successfully underwent ankle surgery this summer, initially travelling to Qatar to see world-leading specialists to solve his persistent injury problems.

Having not featured for the team in pre-season, the 22-year-old recently recovered from a six-month injury layoff and has been eased back into action by our gaffer Mauricio Pochettino.

The midfielder has appeared off the bench in three games so far this season, with the latest coming in the 2-1 defeat at Watford before the international break. Winks only got 10 minutes at Vicarage Road but it sure was another positive step for the youngster.

“I feel like I’m getting there now,” Winks told our club’s official website. “I’ve been out for five, six months and it takes time but I feel like I’m getting back to my match sharpness.

“It was only 10 minutes (at Watford) and we were 2-1 down, so they were always going to be sitting off us but to come on and have an impact was good for me.

“The 2016/17 season was the breakthrough for me and to then play in those Champions League matches last season, the likes of Real Madrid, that was the pinnacle.

“I think I performed well and that’s the level I want to get back to. I’m confident I can do that.

“It will take time because I’ve been out for so long but I feel I’m on the road to that, nearly there.

“I just need to get myself back to peak fitness now and as soon as the manager feels I’m ready, it will be up to me to show that I am.”

Winks has shown great quality while playing for Spurs but he has struggled with injuries. He is undoubtedly a technically gifted player who oozed his class during Spurs’ Champions League clash against Real Madrid and in other big games last season.

The 22-year-old’s biggest villain has been his injuries and if he can keep them away, he could be a gem of a midfielder for our club and England.

Read more: Dutch giants rejected £44.8million bid from Tottenham Hotspur for rising star

Next up for Tottenham is Jurgen Klopp’s high-flying Liverpool over the weekend and it remains to be seen if Pochettino risks starting Winks for such a pivotal fixture.