Spurs defender Rose pleased to see the 22-year-old back in Gareth Southgate’s England squad

Danny Rose has spoke glowingly about Tottenham Hotspur team-mate Harry Winks after he returned to the England squad for the first time since October 2017 this week.

It has been a frustrating 12 months for the midfielder who has struggled with an ankle injury for the past year.

Winks has only made one full appearance for the senior England team as a result, but is back fit again and close to his best after playing in Spurs’ last four games in all competitions.

He made his Three Lions debut in October 2017 and starred in a 1-0 win in Lithuania and Rose believes the Hemel Hempstead-born footballer could become a fundamental part of Gareth Southgate’s national team if he continues to progress at Tottenham.

“The gaffer (Mauricio Pochettino) has said how highly he thinks of Harry. He called him ‘The Little Iniesta’ I think, so that speaks volumes,” Rose said, after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Cardiff City in the Premier League.

“Once Harry is back to where he was last season, he does have the ability to be fundamental for any team.

“He is somebody who is different to all the other midfielders we’ve got with England, so I’m looking forward to seeing if he gets any minutes and how he does.”

When Winks was fit at the start of last season, he showed his class with a wonderful display in a 3-1 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League on November 1.

Unfortunately, the Spurs academy graduate injured his ankle days later and for a long time never looked the same.

After slowly working his way back to fitness during the summer, following an operation, Winks has shown glimpses of his best form in recent weeks.

During the victory over Cardiff, he was arguably Tottenham’s best player on the pitch and in the second half of the 4-2 defeat to Barcelona, the diminutive midfielder helped Spurs force their way back into the contest.

Admittedly Winks struggled against Barca during the first 45, but the fact he responded in a positive fashion after the break only goes to highlight the character of the youngster.

When it comes to injury, it has not been an easy year for the ex-England youth international and yet things are looking rosy again now.

Rose added: “He’s somebody who is always going to get on the ball and Harry has the ability to make any team tick.

“Now he’s slowly building back to how he was last season and getting his confidence back and we’re all so happy for him.

“He had a difficult back half of last season with his ankle and as I said, you can see now his confidence is slowing building and we’re all happy for him.”