England manager Gareth Southgate has explained his surprise decision to recall Leicester City star James Maddison to his squad for the upcoming World Cup.
The 25-year-old has long been an impressive performer in his time in the Premier League with Leicester, although until this World Cup he only had one England game to show for it, dating back to 2019.
Today, however, it has been confirmed that Maddison is headed to Qatar with Southgate and company. for the biggest tournament in world football, which starts in just over a week.
It looks like Southgate couldn’t ignore Maddison’s fine form any longer, and England fans will be delighted that he now gets this chance to shine on the biggest stage.
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Speaking about why he finally changed his mind about Maddison, Southgate said, as quoted by the Evening Standard’s Nizaar Kinsella: “He’s playing very well. He is a good player, we have always said that he was a good player. He has earned the right and we feel that he can offer us something different than what we have.
“He’s playing as well as any attacking player in this country.”
It will be interesting to see if Maddison can now work his way into England’s starting line-up, or if he will have to make do with a place on the bench.
Click here to see England’s World Cup squad in full.
