At the start of November, James Maddison appeared a shoo-in to make England’s squad for the European Championship — and there was even a question over whether Gareth Southgate may have to find room for the Tottenham playmaker in his best XI.
Maddison was the heartbeat of Ange Postecoglou’s new-look side, playing with verve and confidence as Spurs flew to the top of the table in an unbeaten, record-breaking start to the season.
He made both the visitors’ goals as they twice came from behind to earn a draw at Arsenal, and scored in wins over Bournemouth, Burnley and Fulham.
“It’s not a conscious effort to try and be the showman,” Maddison said on England duty in September. “That’s just how I play football.
“That’s just how I am as a person, [when] I go for a roast dinner with my family, I like to be the main man.”
But Maddison’s season was derailed when he suffered ankle ligament damage in Spurs’ catastrophic 4-1 defeat to Chelsea on November 6 and it is no surprise he was cut from Southgate’s provisional 33-man squad, ensuring his long wait for an appearance at a major tournament goes on.
Maddison, who was a surprise inclusion in England’s Qatar World Cup squad but did not play, would not return to action for Spurs until the end of January, and never rediscovered his rhythm in a side which was then stuttering.
His only goal came in the 4-0 win over Aston Villa on March 10, and he was dropped by Postecoglou for the games against Chelsea and Liverpool in May.
On form, there is no doubt that Eberechi Eze and Cole Palmer deserve to make the final squad ahead of Maddison as the alternatives to Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, and the Palace forward made a compelling case for inclusion in Monday’s win against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Perhaps Maddison might have snuck in ahead of Jack Grealish, who has also had a difficult season, but experience is on the side of the Manchester City winger, who has 36 caps to Maddison’s seven.
For Spurs, Maddison’s omission is positive news, allowing the 27-year-old a rest and a full pre-season under Postecoglou. It feels, though, like a big period ahead for the £40million signing from Leicester.
Postecoglou has called for wholesale change at Spurs and, while Maddison is not one of the players at risk of being sold, the club is looking for upgrades throughout the team.
Spurs admire Eze, although he would be very difficult to extract from Palace, and are expected to bid for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher this month.
Swedish sensation Lucas Bergvall, meanwhile, will be part of Postecoglou’s first-team squad next season after signing for Spurs in January and plays a similar role to Maddison.
