“AXED! DID HE CROSSED THE LINE? Winks WATCHES from stands as Foxes grind out result, was a brutal tunnel row the REAL reason Winks was binned?”

The real reason Harry Winks was benched for Leicester City victory and his private conversation with Gary Rowett
The midfielder has been City’s ‘best player in possession’, according to the manager, but was still left out of the starting line-up for the 2-0 win over Bristol City

Gary Rowett believed Harry Winks’ reaction to being dropped demonstrated his commitment to Leicester City.

Rowett surprisingly left Winks out of his first XI on Tuesday night, the midfielder entering the fray as a replacement to help protect the 2-0 victory over Bristol City.

That’s despite a man-of-the-match performance against Ipswich at the weekend, and with the player quickly re-establishing himself as a vital City figure again following his absence under Marti Cifuentes.

Rowett left Winks out in order to choose a more offensive alternative in Jordan James, and with Oliver Skipp more capable of shielding the back four defensively at the base of midfield.

Having Winks, and the likes of Ricardo Pereira and Divine Mukasa, on the bench also permitted Rowett to introduce more technical players for the final 20 minutes as part of his “two teams” approach.

Rowett informed Winks beforehand that he would not be in the starting line-up to face the Robins, and the coach was impressed with the midfielder’s reaction.

“I spoke to Winksy, I spoke to Ricardo, I spoke to Pato (Daka),” Rowett said. “I’ll always speak to players and explain my reasoning.

“Winksy was a really interesting one because certainly in the first four games, he’s been our best player in possession of the ball.

“I just felt I wanted to play with two eights and I wanted to test them (Bristol City) in a different way. I felt it needed someone with more defensive diligence (Skipp) at the heart of our midfield.

“He (Winks) understood that. He said it to me: ‘All that matters is that we win.’ I’ve seen it with the way he scored against Stoke, I’ve seen it with the way he came on today, he was fantastic and he cares. He does want to really finish the season strongly.

“I thought Skippy was outstanding. There was one moment where he sprinted back and made a header at the back post that saved an opportunity. It’s moments like that that win you games of football. He was outstanding.”

It had initially seemed that Winks was seeing out the final few games of his City tenure over these next couple of months, but it has now emerged that may not necessarily be the situation.

A clause in the midfielder’s agreement saw an additional year added to his contract upon promotion in 2024, and so he is committed to the King Power Stadium until 2027.

It means he will either continue to represent the club next season, or be transferred for a fee this summer.