James Maddison gave Tottenham Hotspur and their supporters a huge lift when he was introduced in the 85th minute against Leeds United last night. He may be able to stake a late claim to be in Thomas Tuchel's England roster for the World Cup.
Maddison came on for the hero turned villain, Mathys Tel, in the 1-1 draw with Leeds. Tel had scored a sublime goal to give Spurs the lead, but went on to give away the penalty from which Daniel Farke's side scored.
Tottenham are now just two points above West Ham United, who occupy the final relegation place. Roberto De Zerbi's side still has two tough matches against Chelsea and Everton to go. If Maddison can help inspire Spurs to get results in these games and keep them in the Premier League, then he could be a dark horse for England at the World Cup this summer.
It would only be an outside chance for Maddison to make the England team, as the match with Leeds was the first game he played this season. He has been out for over a year with a cruciate ligament tear.
James Maddison has a lot to prove for England
Maddison is perhaps still seen as an unreliable quantity for England. Back in 2019, whilst he still played for Leicester City, the player withdrew from the Three Lions squad due to illness. However, he was then seen visiting a casino.
The attacking midfielder then went on to make his debut for England in a 7-0 win over Montenegro. However, he has gone on to play for the Three Lions just seven times in total. Maddison went to the last World Cup but suffered from a knee injury and did not play in any of the games.
There is a history of England taking injured players or players picking up problems at major tournaments. Therefore, it would be a gamble for Tuchel to select Maddison. Especially as the Three Lions have the likes of Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Phil Foden, and Cole Palmer as attacking midfield options.
It is a surprise that Maddison, at the age of 29, has only played for England on limited occasions. He is an FA Cup and Community Shield winner with Leicester City, whilst with Spurs, he lifted the Europa League. For Leicester and Spurs, he has a combined Premier League record of 56 goals with 51 assists in 223 matches.