Harry Winks says it has been "fantastic" to feature so prominently for his boyhood side after injury trouble in his early years. 

The 23-year-old has suffered in the past from a reoccurring ankle injury. 

Winks has featured in 22 of Tottenham Hotspur's 25 Premier League games this season - more than any previous season. 

"It's been fantastic"

Winks was a product of the Spurs academy and made his first-team Premier League debut in August 2016 after replacing Christian Eriksen

The Hemel Hempstead-born midfielder told The Independent:

"It's been fantastic, since the beginning of the season, I set some aims, I set some goals and that was just to play as many games as possible and stay fit all season and it has been good so far.

"I have played a lot of matches, which is what I wanted and hopefully fingers crossed I will stay injury free. It has been everything I wanted since the beginning of the season."

In April 2017, Winks suffered an ankle ligament injury which would see him sidelined for the remainder of the season. 

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"I still have niggles here and there in my ankle which I am managing to play with.

"I have managed to somehow put that to the back of my mind and not focus on it much and probably not worry or overthink as much as I should have," he said. 

Dembele a huge influence

Winks also praised the recently sold Mousa Dembele who provided the youngster with a lot of knowledge in the early stages of his career: 

"I learned a lot from Mousa, not only was he fantastic on the field as everyone knows but he was top off the field as well, he was a real humble guy and a nice person to speak to," the midfielder said. 

Like Winks, Dembele also found himself sidelined through injury during his time at Spurs which consequently lead to his departure. 

"On the pitch, he was one of the best players I have ever played with and I wish him all the best.

"I don't feel the pressure, we have got a lot of good players who can step up to the plate and I don't consider myself as someone who has taken Mousa's place, it is more a collective thing and if I am given the opportunity to play then I'll play."