An experimental England side held Germany to an entertaining draw at Wembley on Thursday night, with manager Gareth Southgate earning praises for trusting the youngsters for such classic.
Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks withdrew late on from the squad due to an ankle injury he picked up against Crystal Palace.
Despite being missing in action against the world champions, Everton legend Leon Osman heaped praises on the 21-year-old and claimed he should be a very crucial part of Southgate’s plans.
The ex-Blues said post-game on BBC Radio 5 Live: “For me, I don’t know if anyone agrees, Harry Winks is the first name on my team sheet at the moment.
“He’s the guy Italy had in Pirlo. I’m not saying he’s at that level yet. He’s the guy who links everything up. He’s not a defensive midfielder who just destroys and will lack a bit creativity going forward.
“He’s not a number 10 who sits down. He’s the guy who links the back and the front up. Germany had Ozil who didn’t give them anything defensively …and I think Harry offers you more.”
Winks has established himself in Spurs XI this term, largely down to injuries to Victory Wanyama and Mousa Dembele at the start of the campaign.
He ran circles around a star-studded Real Madrid midfield a fortnight ago in Tottenham’s 3-1 Champions League victory, and that game remains one of the highlights of his young career.
Should he keep improving at this rate, Winks will most likely earn himself a permanent berth in England’s midfield ahead of next year’s World Cup.
