Tue 05 February 2019, 12:27
Tottenham HotspurHarry Winks has paid tribute to Fernando Llorente’s mentality on and off the pitch.
Our Spanish striker – the oldest outfield player in the squad at 33 – has stepped up to the plate in the absence of Harry Kane during this busy period of fixtures, scoring our late winner against Watford last midweek before setting up Heung-Min Son to do likewise in the 1-0 triumph over Newcastle on Saturday.
Our dynamic central midfielder Winksy, who, like Fernando, has enjoyed plenty of game time lately, has been impressed by the forward’s determination to make a difference for the team, even if not everything goes his way in the box.
“He’s someone who is fantastic at persevering,” said the Academy graduate, who celebrated his 23rd birthday with three points against the Magpies at Wembley. “He’s perhaps had some difficult times here and there, but it just shows how far he’s come, how mentally strong he is because he’s been fantastic for us.
“He offers more than goals – he holds the ball up and he’s a big focal point for us. He offers a different dimension going forward and on Saturday when he came on, he was key in holding the ball up and getting the assist.
“Obviously against Watford he got the winning goal and he helped us with a goal at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup too, so he’s been important for us.”
Harry also spoke about how the ex-Juventus and Sevilla star – a World Cup winner with Spain in 2010 – has been able to share some of his experience in the game with the younger members of the group.
“He’s an open guy. You can talk to Fernando about anything,” he said.
“He’s someone who has got a lot of wisdom in football and a lot of experience in the game so he’s a person you can always talk to and get information from if you need to.”
