Harry Winks explains how he coped with 'daunting' Luka Modric in Tottenham draw at Real Madrid

Harry Winks held his own against his one-time idol Luka Modric, having approached the clash here on Tuesday as a normal game.

Winks was in the academy when Modric was starring at Tottenham with the Croatia midfielder then switching White Hart Lane for the Bernabeu in 2012.

Like many of his team‑mates, Winks appeared a little timid in the opening 15 minutes, as Real Madrid threatened to dominate with Modric running the show in midfield.

But Mauricio Pochettino’s team soon found their stride, thanks in no small part to Winks, who produced an intelligent performance, brimming with personality, as he stood up to Modric and Toni Kroos.

“Modric was always someone I looked up to when I was coming through the academy as a young player,” recalled Winks (below). “He is someone I would go to White Hart Lane to watch and I still admire him to this day. To play against him was special.

“He and Kroos are fantastic, world-class players, so when you go on the pitch with them, it is easy to get a little bit daunted. But I tried to take all that away from it, treat it as any normal game and approach them as I would any other player. You realise just how good they are when you play against them.”

Tottenham’s 1-1 draw was one of the best results of Mauricio Pochettino’s three-and-a-half years in charge. They top Group H at the halfway point, having beaten Borussia Dortmund and APOEL this term, and Winks is hugely optimistic about their prospects in the competition.

“We believe in our ability,” he said. “Last year was a poor Champions League campaign and we were knocked out in the group stages but this season we are doing really well.

“We are going into games a little differently from how we might in the Premier League. We have to be a little more tactically resilient and play on the counter‑attack slightly more often but we were excellent against Real.

“We believe we are one of the best teams in the Premier League. So when you come to play at the Bernabeu, in such a hostile environment with a difficult crowd, it shows we can do just as well in all our Premier League games. We played very well to get a point.”

Winks had a hand in the move that led to Spurs’ goal, with Raphael Varane turning Serge Aurier’s cross into his own net under pressure from Harry Kane, and was involved in many of the visitors’ best attacks.

While it is far too early to compare Winks with Modric, who spent four years with Spurs, these are extremely promising signs. The 21-year-old has been trusted by Pochettino in important games before — notably the 2-1 defeat at Monaco last November that confirmed Spurs’ Champions League exit — and impressed for England on his senior debut, against Lithuania earlier this month.

Winks was only called up by Gareth Southgate following injuries in the squad. More performances like this and he will not have to rely on other people dropping out to be part of Southgate’s World Cup plans.

Like most top clubs, it is difficult for homegrown players to establish themselves as first-team regulars at Tottenham, though it would be no surprise to see Winks follow Ledley King and Kane by doing so.

Tottenham face Madrid again at Wembley in two weeks’ time and are likely to need Hugo Lloris at his best again.

The France captain made a remarkable save to deny Karim Benzema early in the second half and Winks admitted: “I’ve no idea how he stopped it. He showed why he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.”