Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks, currently on loan at Sampdoria, has admitted that nobody from the North London club has contacted him during his spell in Serie A as he remains in limbo over his future.
The 27-year-old was seldom used from the first whistle under Antonio Conte, who quickly established Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur as his first-choice midfield pairing.
Oliver Skipp and Yves Bissouma also forced their way above Winks in the pecking order, while the arrival of Pape Sarr from Metz led to increased competition for places in Conte's engine room.
As a result, Winks joined several Spurs players in leaving the club on loan in the summer, but a serious ankle injury delayed his debut with Sampdoria until January.
The England international has since become a regular fixture for the Serie A strugglers, playing the full 90 in each of their last eight games, albeit without picking up a single win.
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Sampdoria possess an option to make Winks's deal permanent in the summer, but the Blucerchiati are seemingly consigned to relegation to Serie B, sitting bottom of the Serie A table and 12 points adrift of safety.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport - via the Evening Standard - Winks insisted that he was not thinking about his future while there is a relegation dogfight to focus on, but not a single person from Tottenham has spoken with him during his time in Italy.
"I am on loan until the end of the season, I am satisfied with this experience, but I don't know what the future holds and I don't want to think about it," Winks said.
"I can only focus on the next match, but I am proud to have made this choice. Nobody from Tottenham has contacted me, not even the coach. I was and am fully focusing on Samp."
Before his first appearance in a matchday squad, Winks was absent for 13 successive matches in all tournaments due to his ankle problem and did not make the bench until Sampdoria's 2-0 loss to Napoli on January 8.
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Winks underwent surgery in November to correct the problem, and he also issued an apology to Sampdoria fans for his lengthy absence as they strive to pull off an unlikely survival miracle.
"I feel in debt to Sampdoria. If I had been available from the start, I would have given my all to help the team, but I don't want to think my presence would have been fundamental. This is a great team, regardless of what's going on," Winks added.
"I am sorry because the club has always supported me, on and off the pitch. It was important to solve my ankle problem. There are amazing people here, and so are the fans.
"There is a strong sense of beloving and I can only be grateful to the team. There have been many changes, but we've never lacked support. We will continue to fight, we can still make it."
Winks has posted five goals and six assists from 203 matches for Tottenham since coming through their youth academy, but his contract in North London expires in the summer of 2024.
Ben Knapton
