James Maddison has been backed to make an impact in Tottenham’s relegation battle, but he might not return to his best form until the 2027-28 season.
Maddison was surprisingly named on the bench by new Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi for Saturday’s 2-2 home draw with Brighton and even though he was not used, it provided a boost to a disgruntled fanbase.
The England playmaker has not played for Tottenham competitively since May 1 and not during this campaign after he suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage on August 3, but his presence in the dugout has raised the possibility of a key role in the club’s final five fixtures.
Ben Dinnery, an injury expert and founder of the widely-renowned Premier Injuries website, has admitted expectations on Maddison should be low given his eight-and-a-half-month absence with a serious knee injury.
However, Dinnery pointed out Maddison should be able to show flashes of his best even ahead of Saturday’s trip to Wolves.
Dinnery told the Press Association: “As far as the medical department, the sports science department and everyone involved in his recovery and rehab, James Maddison is in the best possible physical place to be able to contribute to the team.
“The next question is does Roberto De Zerbi believe that James Maddison can start a game and contribute to the success of Tottenham from the first minute or is James Maddison in a place where realistically we’re looking at him being an impact player from the bench?
“Ideal scenario you’re doing that careful reintegration, you’re maybe doing some bounce (warm-up) games, some under-21 games, you’ll maybe be doing 10, 15 or 20 minutes coming off the bench for the first team and then you’re gradually building it up.
“However, given the demands and the pressure and limited amount of time Tottenham have to try and maintain their Premier League hopes, then nothing would surprise me! It is whether or not they feel Maddison can contribute from kick-off for 45 minutes or for 60 minutes.
“James Maddison is a leader, players will be looking up to the likes of Maddison for that moment of brilliance and is he capable of doing it in a one-off moment in games? Absolutely. It is just those levels of consistency optimally over long periods.”
Spurs will hope Maddison – who did not warm-up during Saturday’s game – can make his mark over the next month, but data suggests it will take longer for the 29-year-old to get back to pre-injury levels of performance.
“Being involved is great, but what you’re looking at for James Maddison is a really good and solid pre-season being under his belt,” Dinnery explained.
“If he gets a few minutes between now and the end of the season, and he makes one or possibly two goal contributions and Tottenham stay up, great and everyone is a winner.
“Ultimately, you’re looking towards the 2026-27 season for James Maddison to really start to perform regularly at somewhere near those pre-injury levels and it could even be beyond and in the 2027-28 season before he is back, hopefully, to pre-level (form).”