Tottenham's 'little Iniesta' faces another frustrating spell as new signing changes Conte's plan

Harry Winks could be finding himself back in the same rut he was in under Nuno Espirito Santo, just as things started looking up for him.

The 26-year-old has made 21 appearances for Tottenham so far this season, with just 11 of those being in the Premier League.

In Spurs' latest victory, against Man City, Winks was side-lined and had to watch his teammates produce a solid display at the Etihad.

His place on the bench is likely to have come as a result of his poor performance in the defeat against Wolves in the previous game.

Winks improved his display in the second half but lost the ball on a number of occasions and made mistakes that he has been crticised for on numerous occasions in the past.

At the start of the season, the midfielder was struggling to get into the matchday squad every week, let alone getting regular match minutes and in October, he spoke about his future.

"Listen, I love Tottenham, I’ve always made that clear, but I want to play football. And I want to play regular football," he admitted after having featured in just two Premier League games.

"The only way to play your best football, get momentum is when you’re playing regularly.

"I want to play for Tottenham...but it is difficult when you get matches here and there, confidence is low and you don’t get that run of games. It is difficult," Winks added.

The defensive midfielder has had competition from Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp, with the latter returning from his loan spell at Norwich and returning as a mature and more experienced player, making it even harder for Winks to break into the regular line-up.

Similar to Dele Alli, the 26-year-old was linked with a move away in the January window but as his teammate has made the permanent move to