'I've played for Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho but my current boss is much better'

Leicester City midfielder Harry Winks believes that his current manager, Enzo Maresca, is superior to Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho. The 28-year-old worked under both managers during his time at Tottenham, but he is now enjoying arguably the best spell of his career, having played a crucial role in the Foxes' successful Championship promotion push.

Winks started 45 out of 46 league games as Leicester earned promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, going up as champions under Maresca in his debut season as manager.

The Italian held the top job at Parma for a short spell, but most of his managerial stripes were earned working under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, first as coach of the Elite Development Squad and later as the boss' assistant.

Maresca pushes an attacking brand of football with a focus on possession and winning the ball back high up the pitch. According to Winks, who has worked under a range of top managers, the 44-year-old is the best he's ever played for.

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"By far the best manager I’ve worked for, he’s incredible," the former England international told Sky Sports. "I think everyone will say he’s going right to the top, he’s got everything.

"He’s a great man manager, he’s tactically incredible, some of the decisions he tells us to do before the game and how you view the matches and it’s something that I’ve never experienced before in football. It’s opened my eyes a lot to football and the way it’s played, that kind of Pep Guardiola style as well, who he worked with for a very long time.

"I’m loving my football, it works perfectly for me, it’s exactly the kind of football that I want to play and I buy into and since he’s come in I’ve learned so much and will continue to do that."

“It’s opened my eyes a lot to football and the way it’s played, that kind of Pep Guardiola style as well, who he worked with for a very long time. I’m loving my football, it works perfectly for me, it’s exactly the kind of football that I want to play and I buy into and since he’s come in I’ve learned so much and will continue to do that.”

Winks' assessment will come as a surprise given that Maresca's Championship triumph is the first trophy in his cabinet as a manager. Mourinho, by contrast, has won two Champions Leagues and eight league titles, while Pochettino clinched the Ligue 1 crown during his time at Paris Saint-Germain.

Maresca could be fighting with one arm tied behind his back this summer as a transfer embargo will ban Leicester from signing players or re-signing those soon to be out of contract until they are officially ratified as a Premier League club on June 6.

The Foxes have been charged by the Premier League for breaching profit and sustainability rules in the three seasons before they were relegated, with a punishment yet to be handed down.