James Maddison has revealed how his body is feeling after making his Tottenham comeback and opened up on the emotions he was feeling as he was about to come on against Leeds.
Spurs had posted clips of Maddison impressing in training over the last few weeks, and Tottenham fans were eagerly waiting for the 29-year-old’s return.
After being an unused substitute in Spurs’ last three matches, the attacking midfielder finally made his return against Leeds on Monday.
Maddison entered the fray on 85 minutes to a standing ovation from the home fans, and the former Leicester man has now reflected on his long and difficult journey back from his ACL injury.
James Maddison admits he will never forget the reception from Tottenham fans
The England international confessed that his injury lay-off feels like a lot more than just nine months, pointing out that he had initially suffered a partial ACL injury in the Europa League semifinal back in May before suffering a full tear in a pre-season friendly in August of last year.
He revealed that he now feels in a good place physically and admitted that the reception he received from the Tottenham faithful when he was introduced was special.
When asked about his ninth-month rehabilitation, Maddison told Football.London: “It was longer than that for me. In my head, it goes back to the Europa League semi-final here when I got injured here [at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium] because I did a partial ACL tear against Bodo/Glimt. I was told by the [external] specialist it wouldn’t need surgery and rehab.
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“Then obviously it wasn’t strong, it didn’t recover properly and I needed the full surgery which is what happened in South Korea. So in my head it’s not really been like that it’s been longer. But that being said that was still an amazing moment which will live with me forever that reception I got today.
“There have been some dark days in the last year, especially since the surgery. It has been a really tough year for me mentally but I’m at the end of the tunnel now so I can kind of look back on that with fondness because I’m as mentally strong as I can after going through that. Physically, I feel really good so the moment personally is something that will live with me forever, the reception Spurs fans gave me.”
Maddison admits he is proud of the hard work he has put in over the last 12 months
The experienced midfielder remarked that he had no doubts in his mind that he would come back stronger from his major setback, declaring that he left no stone unturned in his rehabilitation.
He opened up on the many tough moments away from the spotlight during that journey, and thanked his loved ones for keeping his spirits up and the physios who guided him through the journey.
Maddison added: “There was never any doubt about getting back, it was more the sadness of what I would miss and for the longevity of it. I knew once I had the surgery, these days, there is so much research and work that has gone into ACL injuries. It is the most researched injury there is,” he said.
“It’s actually quite simple rehab it’s just a real grind and it’s long and it’s hard. It’s just not very tricky because of the amount of research that has gone into it. So I just had to do the work, there is no corners cut. There was never any doubt about getting back.
“Some tough days mentally to do the work when the light at the end of the tunnel is just not in sight but we are there now and I’m really grateful for the physios who worked with me and sports scientists and everyone who has made it possible for me to come back and feel this good.
“My partner, my parents, my children, the physios, the players, everyone. Sometimes you just have to deal with yourself. Some of the worst days are when we have had highs when the team are away winning in the Champions League and you’re just not a part of it. That is tough as well.
“So many tough moments but proud of myself for how hard I have worked to get back to this position to be able to come back and play in the Premier League.”