Harry Winks targets quick Tottenham pre-season return after 'horrible' injury

Harry Winks has revealed he is putting in the hard work early on to recover in time for Tottenham's 2017-18 campaign.

Winks suffered ankle ligament damage on April Fool's Day against Burnley, with the midfielder missing the rest of the season after breaking into Mauricio Pochettino's first-team plans.

The 21-year-old is spending his summer preparing for a quick return for Spurs, and says he will be back in action well before his team-mates in a bid to stay in contention for starts early on in the season.

"I'm obviously still rehabbing and I'll be in a good 10 days or so before everyone, just getting myself fit, testing my ankle and making sure it’s okay to go back into full training," Winks told the club's website.

"I've almost got a pre-season before a pre-season just to get myself fit so hopefully I can come back in the best shape I can possibly be in."

Winks' injury brought him not only physical pain, but was also tough on the youngster in terms of missing some key dates during Spurs' run-in.

"As soon as I got the injury I knew it was quite serious," he said.

"It was just my gut instinct and the pain I was in, it was something I’d never experienced before.

"I was there in the hospital, it was tough but it’s one of those things - I try not to think about that moment because it was a horrible day.

"Obviously the last few weeks of the season I had to miss and we had some big games as well - the FA Cup semi-final, the last game at [White Hart] Lane.

"But when I look back on the season as a whole, I’m proud of myself, of what I achieved, in the sense that I played a lot of games and to achieve playing in the Champions League, FA Cup and to score in the Premier League, it was a great season for me.

"I’m really happy with that but most importantly, you can’t rest on that and I know that – I know I’ve got to keep working hard, keep improving."