Tottenham Hotspur are unexpected to hand Harry Winks an opportunity to return to the fold over the summer when he returns from his loan spell in Italy.

How has Winks performed out on loan?

The Englishman was handed an opportunity last summer to leave his boyhood club in search of more frequent minutes playing first-team football.

And he took the opportunity to leave the country and joined Sampdoria until the end of the 2022/23 campaign, but it hasn't been plain sailing.

The 27-year-old arrived at the Italian outfit with a niggling injury issue which saw him sit out until after the turn of the year (via Transfermarkt).

Indeed, the ankle issue was so severe it saw him forced to undergo surgery, meaning his debut for Sampdoria did not come until the middle of January.

However, his arrival in the side has seen its own issues with the Serie A strugglers having only won one of the 12 games in which Winks has featured as they look set for relegation.

And speaking on The Tottenham Way podcast, journalist Tom Barclay has claimed the 27-year-old is unlikely to have a future in north London; even if Mauricio Pochettino was to return:

(39:45) "I think he'll be looking for a new club. Some people have sort of talked about if [Mauricio] Pochettino were to come back, given what he thinks of Harry Winks, would there be an opportunity? But I understand that he's probably going to be looking for a new club in the summer."

Do Spurs need midfielders over the summer?

Tottenham are expected to make some moves in the summer transfer window for an additional midfielder on the back of their struggles this campaign.

Injuries have not been kind to the north London side this season with both Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma suffering major injuries which have curtailed their campaigns.

So, in theory, there could well be an opportunity for the £50k-per-week ace to stake a claim for a spot in the Tottenham side for the new campaign with a different manager set to be appointed over the summer.

However, it seems as if the 27-year-old has used up all of his opportunities at Spurs and will be forced to look elsewhere when the summer window opens.

Former manager and reported contender for the vacancy at Spurs, Mauricio Pochettino, hailed Winks as "amazing" during his time in north London but his returns this season have been far from that.

The 27-year-old ranks in the bottom 44th percentile for his pass completion rate with his defensive returns also leaving a lot to be desired with only 1.68 tackles per 90 minutes (via FBref).

When Winks returns to north London he will have one-year remaining on his deal with Spurs and it seems as if he may be best to leave his suitcase packed as he may not be around for much longer as a Spurs player.