What has Winks done in the past 2 years to suggest he should be in the first XI?
I think we are all way too sentimental. I know he was good against Real Madrid but he's suffered from a lot of injuries and he's started like 15 games for us in total, let's let him prove himself. Certainly didn't do well against Wijnaldum and Milner.
I have some reservations about Winks, and always have done, but lets be honest, what has Dembele done in the last 12-18 months? Like Winks (Real Madrid, Liverpool 4-1, etc) he's put in a couple of great performances and a bucket load of meh. And Dier ? Don't get me started.
Yes, Winks needs to prove himself, but with what/who we have available right now, he needs to be given games, and played the right way, and be given that chance to prove himself with a run of games (fitness permitting) because god knows, Dier and Dembele have had their "chance" and are now proving to not be up to the job.
I have a suspicion that long term, Winks might no be quite good enough for where we want to go, but I
know Dier and Dembele aren't any more. I think we also need to start giving game time here and there to people like Amos and Skipp, and see if they can do a job, again even if just in the short/medium term.