James Maddison‘s World Cup dream hangs in the balance after he limped off the pitch 24 minutes into Leicester’s against West Ham in the final Premier League round before the tournament in Qatar.
The in-form playmaker was a surprise selection in Gareth Southgate’s 26-man England squad on Thursday and he capped his call-up with a goal after just eight minutes at the London Stadium, his seventh of the campaign.
However, Maddison’s joy soon turned to despair as he went to ground clutching the back of his knee just 15 minutes later.
He was treated by Leicester’s medical team on the pitch and was able to walk off, albeit gingerly, to be replaced by Dennis Praet before heading straight down the tunnel to the dressing room for further assessment.
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Maddison’s inclusion was the main talking point from Southgate’s squad announcement as, despite his excellent form in a Leicester shirt this calendar year, he had been unable to force his way into the England manager’s plans. His one and only cap for England so far came as a substitute against Montenegro in November 2019.
As a result, there were doubts over whether the 25-year-old would make the cut, in part due to England’s depth in attacking midfield, with Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka and Mason Mount all highly regarded by Southgate.
It hasn’t sunk in… I’m going to The World Cup
— James Maddison (@Madders10) November 10, 2022Dreams really do come true
pic.twitter.com/DeKTECv3XT
However, Southgate explained that Maddison’s “exceptional form” for his club and his different skill-set to England’s other attacking options secured his spot.
“He’s always been up against some good players in that area of the pitch, and there have been moments we were playing 4-3-3 with no No 10, so his profile didn’t quite fit,” Southgate said.
“He’s playing exceptionally well, we like the fact he finds those pockets of space, he gets turned and plays forward. Not enough players do that in this day and age.
“His set-piece delivery is outstanding, and he can score goals from distance. Against low-block defences, that is another attribute which is a little bit different to some of our other players.”
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Soon after the debate over whether Maddison would make the squad was settled, attention quickly turned to whether he would be able to force his way into England’s starting line-up for the opener against Iran.
“For me the debate is whether he starts,” Gary Lineker told i.
“I don’t see a better English player in the Premier League at the moment, the way he performs, the way he twists and turns and breaks the lines and threads little balls through.
“I would have been gutted for Maddison if he hadn’t made it but I would have been gutted for England. Gareth has seen it, he’s played himself into it.”
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