Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers has already outlined James Maddison's quality that will make him a perfect fit for Eddie Howe's Newcastle United. The Foxes playmaker is one of the brightest talents in the Premier League and has been linked with a move to St. James' Park this summer.
Not only would Maddison bring quality in forward areas of the pitch, but Rodgers has been full of praise for his off the ball work rate. After scoring in Leicester's 2-0 win over Fulham back in February 2021, Rodgers told talkSPORT : “He’s a brilliant player. We’ve always talked about his numbers and getting his numbers up, him and the front players, and that’s the job.
“What he has also added to his game is he’s working very hard for the team. Tactically he’s understanding where to be. Towards the end [against Fulham] we just had to get him to close the game out. He’s a special player. He’s efficient and that’s what you want from your attacking players.”
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Newcastle's off the ball work has improved drastically since Howe's arrival last season and there have been signs of their counter-attacking precision in pre-season. The Magpies head coach has been praised for his ability to improve the players who were already at the club, a trait similar to Rodgers at Leicester.
Maddison told talkSPORT: “He’s a top level manager that we’re really fortunate to have here. The detail and the enthusiasm and the love he has for the game and what he does in training every single day is second to none.
“Every single player in the changing room is becoming a better player under him. That’s a fact. I’ve seen it in my own game, I’ve seen it in other players’ games just because I always say he cares.
"He cares about making you a better player, he’s not just someone who wants to get three points at the weekend for his CV, he actually wants to improve the team and improve the players. When you have a manager that’s willing to do that and go beyond to make you a better player then just out of being happy you’re improving is a great thing and something we have to be really appreciative of.”
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