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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks is confident he will be fit to play in the Champions League final, per the London Evening Standard.

What’s the word?

Winks has been out since the beginning of April and has not played since the quarter-final first leg win over Manchester City.

However, the report claims that, having undergone groin surgery, the England international is positive about his chances of featuring against Liverpool in Madrid on June 1.

It remains to be seen, of course, if Mauricio Pochettino will throw the 23-year-old back into the fray; the Argentine deployed Victor Wanyama alongside Moussa Sissoko in the second leg win against Ajax but the Kenya international was substituted at half-time to make way for striker Fernando Llorente.

Winks has been a key member of Spurs’ squad this campaign, making a total of 40 appearances in all competitions prior to his injury woes.

He has also won three caps for England and was included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Nations League finals; the Three Lions will take on the Netherlands in the semi-final less than a week after Spurs’ clash with the Reds.

A major boost

Spurs have been without a deep-lying midfield orchestrator in recent weeks and it has shown.

Wanyama was clearly out of his depth against Ajax, while Eric Dier has repeatedly struggled this season.

Having the option to partner Winks with Sissoko against Liverpool will be music to Pochettino’s ears, then, with the Frenchman offering explosiveness and brilliant ball-carrying abilities, and his team-mate giving both subtlety and control.

It also gives Pochettino the option to change up his formation; as Winks is fit he can use a diamond, with Dier or Wanyama in a defensive midfield role, or potentially push into a 4-2-3-1, looking to overload Liverpool’s backline.

One thing is for sure: With Winks in the team, Spurs’ chances of victory certainly increase.