Speaking to the club's official website after Tottenham Hotspur’s dramatic 3-2 win over London rivals West Ham, Harry Winks expressed his pride.
The midfielder, who is an academy graduate at Spurs, was handed his first Premier League start just days after receiving his first start for the England U21s. Winks topped off the debut by scoring Tottenham’s first equalizer, helping them gain momentum to go on and win the game thanks to two Harry Kane goals.
Overwhelmed
When asked to explain his feelings, Winks commented that he “couldn’t explain” the feeling. He commented that the whole game was “a bit of a blur” but he expressed a feeling of joy and pride commenting “what a game to be involved in and what a full debut to make” adding “To win, that was the main thing, to get the three points, but to score as well” meant so much to him, especially as the midfielder grew up as a Tottenham fan.
He went on to comment on his goal explaining “It went completely quiet and I just though I had to tap it in” before saying “that is one moment in my life I can never repeat”.
Grateful to Pochettino
Harry Winks' appreciation towards his manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was clear as soon as the player scored and ran straight to the touchline to celebrate with the Argentine.
Winks said, “I had a burst of energy” and “could have kept running”. He also added that the manager “gave me my chance and put me into the first team” and the celebration was a “thank you to him for everything he’s done for me”.
Pochettino is known for his ability to nurture young players and the relationship that was seen between Pochettino and Winks throughout the game epitomised that. Winks also explained that he found out he was in the team in training on Friday and was taken by surprise as he “couldn’t quite believe it” and was “shocked”. However, he didn’t let this get the better of him as “I prepared how I always do for a game” and “couldn’t wait to get out there and play”.
Winks didn’t allow his emotions to get the better of him as he gave a strong performance, looking confident in the team and throughout the game.