5 England players with a point to prove after the international break

#2 Harry Winks

Could Harry Winks help to solve England's midfield issues?

When England suffered a disappointing loss to the Netherlands in this summer’s UEFA Nations League semi-finals, observers and pundits alike seemed to recognise that the struggles of Gareth Southgate’s side came largely from the midfield area, where young Dutch star Frenkie De Jong was able to largely dictate play.

England fans bemoaned the lack of an English equivalent – but many pointed out that Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Winks, who was unavailable for that game due to a groin injury, could fill the role going forward.

Southgate himself suggested that Winks could prove to be a key man for the Three Lions in the near future, and sure enough he was restored to the squad for the Bulgaria and Kosovo games, but strangely, he wasn’t selected once, with the England boss preferring a midfield trio of Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson and Ross Barkley.

It was a curious call given Winks has started the season for Spurs brightly and has superior statistics to both Henderson and Rice when it comes to the number of passes he makes per game, his pass success rate and also the number of key passes he completes. It was particularly frustrating to see his lack of involvement given neither Rice nor Henderson really impressed against Bulgaria or Kosovo.

Clearly the only way for Winks to truly break through as a starter in Southgate’s eyes is to continue to perform well for Tottenham – and he could begin that with an impressive showing this weekend against Crystal Palace. With his passing skills Winks is a unique talent for England – he just needs to prove it to the Three Lions boss.