Why Harry Winks was dropped for Leicester City win and what he said to Gary Rowett | OneFootball

Gary Rowett explained why he left Harry Winks out of his starting line-up for Leicester City’s 2-0 win over Bristol City, and praised the midfielder’s reaction.

Winks was a surprise omission on Tuesday night, then came on to help see out the result. That followed a man of the match display against Ipswich at the weekend and a swift return to prominence after his exile under Marti Cifuentes. According to LeicesterMercury.co.uk, Rowett felt the response underlined how much Winks cares.

The manager chose Jordan James for extra attacking thrust, with Oliver Skipp shielding the back four at the base of midfield. Keeping Winks, Ricardo Pereira and Divine Mukasa on the bench enabled him to add technical quality in the final 20 minutes as part of a two teams approach.

Rowett said he spoke in advance to Winks, Ricardo and Patson Daka to explain his plan. He regards Winks as their best player in possession across the first four games but wanted to use two eights, trusting Skipp’s defensive diligence in the heart of midfield. Winks accepted the call and stressed that winning came first, while Rowett noted the midfielder’s goal at Stoke and hailed Skipp’s back-post recovery header as match-saving.

It had seemed Winks was nearing the end of his City spell this spring, but a promotion-triggered clause in 2024 has extended his contract to 2027. He will either remain with the club next season or be sold for a fee this summer.

Source: LeicesterMercury.co.uk