Harry Winks believes the Wembley effect can enable Tottenham to win a first major trophy in a decade as he tries to rebuild form and confidence after two ankle injuries.

The midfielder is likely to be in the starting XI as Spurs travel to Rochdale for Sunday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie, as he was not involved in the win over Arsenal or the draw with Juventus.

Last autumn Winks starred in the two Champions League matches against Real Madrid and also broke into the senior England squad. But he has suffered two ankle injuries over the past year and continued playing with the second until he was forced to step aside around Christmas. Only now is he making his comeback.

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino rates Winks highly but the midfielder himself accepts that he still has a little way to go to be at his best again. Winks returned for last week’s FA Cup replay 2-0 win over Newport at Wembley and will seek to clear another hurdle on the Rochdale pitch, which has been relaid only this week and may be a source of concern for Tottenham.

“It’s tough,” Winks told Standard Sport about his fitness battle. “I had one ankle injury, then I came back, and I got another one. I was playing with it and I got to the point where I had to pull out. It wasn’t easy.

“The most difficult thing has been watching the lads play and do really well while I wasn’t involved, so the Newport game was a really good time for me to get back out there. My ankle felt good and everything felt fine so I am ready to push on now.

“I’ve still got a little bit of work to do to get back to the level of fitness and confidence I had when we played Real Madrid, but you have to start somewhere. Everyone has a clear mind about what we want to do this season — win a trophy.

“Manchester City will take a bit of catching in the Premier League but whether it is the Champions League or the FA Cup, we want to win it and we believe we can, because we know how good we are.”

If Spurs can see off Rochdale, who are bottom of League One, they would be three wins away from FA Cup glory — with Wembley suddenly becoming a significant advantage.

How times change. Less than a year ago, Spurs were in the middle of a dismal run of one victory in nine games at the national stadium, and they did not win any of their first three league fixtures there this season.

Yet victories over Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal, not to mention Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, have made Tottenham feel at home, to the extent that it should give them the edge in the closing stages of the Cup.

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“We have had a lot of games here this season and a few last year, so we are coming to terms with how to play at Wembley,” Winks explained. “The size of the pitch is different, the atmosphere is a bit different, the grass plays a bit differently from White Hart Lane.

“We’ve got a lot of experience here now, the players have adapted, we are getting good results and we hope it can continue. Whenever you change stadiums there will always be a time where you are adjusting, and that goes for the fans as well. But we are used to getting good results here now.”