This article is part of Football FanCast's Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers...

Gareth Southgate believes Harry Winks is “as good as anyone” in his position, per BBC Sport’s live blog (November 13, 16:42).

What’s he said?

When talking about his midfield options, Southgate pointed out that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder is a different type of player to the defensive options he has in the centre, such as West Ham United’s Declan Rice.

Instead, he believes that Winks is a “single pivot” who can move the ball even when under pressure.

He said: “Harry Winks is a different sort of player from Declan Rice or Eric Dier who have played in that single pivot role for us.

“He is probably as good as anyone at receiving the ball under the pressure and in the press, at the moment he is not in Tottenham's team which is not perfect for us, but we saw in Bulgaria what he is capable of."

Perfect opportunity

Winks has an excellent chance to show Southgate that he was absolutely right to back the midfielder when the Three Lions take on Montenegro on Thursday - provided he makes the starting XI, of course.

Indeed, this is a player with a handful of good stats, but few very exceptional ones.

He can pass the ball accurately but that has led to a key pass per game number of just 0.7, per WhoScored, suggesting that he does not look to split the defence.

Instead, he recycles possession, handing it off to the next midfielder that is nearest to him. A 90.9% pass completion rate is impressive from 60.9 passes for his club but he rarely carries the ball – 0.7 dribbles per game – and he also has 0.6 shots per game.

He does average 1.5 tackles in the league and he has nowhere near the kind of defensive numbers that Declan Rice does. Per WhoScored, he averages 2.9 tackles per game.

But Winks is exceptional on the ball. He's precise and he's confident and he always shows for it, even when under pressure, as Southgate has said.

Opposition like Montenegro should not test this England side too much - the Three Lions won 5-1 away from home when the two sides went head-to-head last time. Rice played in that game, his first start for his country, and impressed sufficiently to win four more caps.

Winks has a similar opportunity; he can prove that his unique skillset of recycling possession consistently is perfectly suited to this England midfield against this kind of lesser opponent, who the Three Lions tend to face during every qualifying campaign.

Southgate's given his endorsement - it's now up to Winks to deliver.