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Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-0 victory at Turf Moor on Saturday came with a price tag in the form of injuries to a couple of key players. While Victor Wanyama went down in the first half with an injury and had to be substituted for Mousa Dembele, he ultimately seems to be fine and does not appear to be set to miss any long term time.
Harry Winks, on the other hand, suffered what looked to be a freak serious injury on a tackle attempt that saw the young midfielder crash into the technical area and immediately grab his ankle. Scans were done at a local hospital and Winks was seen in a leg brace on crutches after the match.
Ben Pearce, who covers Spurs on a regular basis, has a little more information today regarding Winks’ injury, though it doesn’t tell us much more.
#thfc Poch says Winks twisted his ankle and has another scan shortly but it will be "really difficult" for him to play again this season.
— Ben Pearce (@BenPearceSpurs) April 3, 2017
First off, the last thing that came to mind as an injury watching that replay was a twisted ankle. When the play happened, I had assumed it was just a trip and he needed a minute to dust himself off after flying into the bench. The replay, on the other hand, looked a bit worse and I was concerned for any type of broken bone in his leg.
Another scan will probably help us get the full details of what happened to 21-year-old midfielder, but Poch’s words at the end seem to tell the tale and what we all feared: Winks’ season is more than likely over.
With nine matches to go in the league and no more than eleven until season’s end including the FA Cup, this is a huge blow. Winks has been a breakout player for Pochettino’s side and had earned minutes in some crucial matches all year, having made 33 appearances in total. If the injury is serious enough, it’s best to not instill any false hope that he can come back and work on getting back to 100% strength for next season.
If Winks’ can escape a catastrophic injury with just a bad twist and some ligament damage that puts him out until the summer, it may be a dodged bullet.
Still, everything about this sucks and we hope Harry gets back to full fitness as soon as possible.