Harry Winks is confident he can return to his best for Tottenham and England after 10 months of injury problems.
The 22-year-old midfielder caught the eye on the world stage last Autumn after being named man-of-the-match on his England debut in October, before starring in Spurs' Champions League battles with Real Madrid and their 4-1 win over Liverpool at Wembley.
But the midfielder has not been fully fit since suffering an ankle injury against Crystal Palace in November and he finally underwent surgery in May after a number of attempts to get fit – including time at a special medical facility in Qatar.
After brief cameos against in Spurs' last three matches, he says he is finally approaching full fitness again.
In Pictures | Watford vs Tottenham | 02/09/2018
"I’ve been out for five, six months and it takes time but I feel like I’m getting back to my match sharpness," Winks said. "To play in those Champions League matches last season, the likes of Real Madrid, that was the pinnacle.
"I think I performed well and that’s the level I want to get back to. I’m confident I can do that. It will take time because I’ve been out for so long but I feel I’m on the road to that, nearly there.
"I just need to get myself back to peak fitness now and as soon as the manager feels I’m ready, it will be up to me to show that I am."
Meanwhile, Swansea City forward Joel Asoro, 19, has claimed he turned down a move to Spurs from Sunderland in the summer.
"We sat talking to Tottenham and they said they could not promise anything about playing time," he told Swedish outlet Sportbladet. "Then I felt I could not make that choice."
He added: "It does not hurt to have higher pay, but I thought more about playing. If I want to compete seriously while playing with the [Sweden] U21 national team, I need to play in my club team as well."
