Carroll always looked tidy. But Winks has already shown he has ability in the areas Carroll was always flawed in. He's much more physical and aggressive, but most importantly he's assertive and pro-active in his play. He's young Modric to Caroll's young Samways.
That's a very good description of the difference between Carroll and Winks. Carroll is generally static and passes the ball around neatly, though generally sideways and without really making an impact; Winks plays the ball forwards more and, importantly, runs with the ball as well so hurts teams more