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Waddle compares Tottenham playmaker to £65m star
Former Tottenham Hotspur star Chris Waddle has likened midfielder Harry Winks to Dutch ace Frenkie de Jong.
The central midfielder was superb against England in the recent Nations League semi-final, and made many people stand up and take note.
de Jong is viewed as one of Europe’s most talented up-and-cming midfielders, and his ability convinced Barcelona to shell out £65 million to sign him from Ajax ().
de Jong will join up with his new teammates this summer and embark on a new chapter in Catalonia.
One man who couldn’t share the field with the silky star was Tottenham’s Winks, who was left out by Gareth Southgate.
According to Waddle, Winks – who earns £50,000-a-week () – is the closest thing England have to a de Jong at the moment.
He said: “The nearest player we have got to de Jong is Tottenham’s Harry Winks, who did not make the squad for Portugal despite recovering from groin surgery in time to play in the Champions League final at the start of June.
“I thought he was excellent in Madrid and was surprised Spurs took him off after 66 minutes, but it was his first game back after several weeks out following groin surgery so I can understand if he was feeling the pace.”
TBR’s view
Winks’ impressive technical ability certainly does suggest him as being a player in the de Jong mold.
Last season he recorded a brilliant pass completion rate of 91.8% in the Premier League ().
He also showed that he is comfortable operating in tight spaces and under pressure, something de Jong is fast becoming known for.
Ironically de Jong recently stated that he actually nearly joined Tottenham before agreeing his Barca move (), but Winks could be the man to ensure there won’t be any regrets about that.