James Maddison was ‘devastated’ after being cut from England’s provisional squad for Euro 2024 but insisted ‘I’ll be back.’
The 27-year-old left St George’s Park on Wednesday night after learning he would not be part of Gareth Southgate’s 26-man party for the European Championships in Germany, which get under way on June 14.
Maddison came off the bench in England’s 3-0 friendly win over Bosnia in Newcastle on Monday night but has seemingly fallen down the pecking order after a season which saw his fine early form interrupted by a serious ankle injury.
Devastated doesn’t quite cut it. Trained well and worked hard all week but if I’m honest with myself, my form for Spurs when coming back from injury in the second half of the season probably wasn’t at the levels I had set which gave Gareth a decision to make. I still thought… pic.twitter.com/LwhIhCPDxS
— James Maddison (@Madders10) June 6, 2024
The midfielder began the campaign superbly after a £40m transfer from Leicester, winning the Premier League’s player of the month award in August and registering three goals and five assists in Tottenham’s first nine Premier League games.
He started in the No10 position in Southgate’s experimental line-up in England’s friendly against Australia in October, but suffered ankle ligament damage in Tottenham’s Premier League defeat to Chelsea in early November.
The injury saw him miss 10 Premier League matches and though he returned to face Brentford on January 31, he never returned to the heights of the autumn.
Maddison told fans on social media: “(I have) trained well and worked hard all week but if I’m honest with myself, my form for Spurs when coming back from injury in the second half of the season probably wasn’t at the levels I had set, which gave Gareth a decision to make.
“I still thought there would be a space for me in a 26 man squad as I feel I bring something different and had been a mainstay in this whole qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Germany, but the manager has made the decision and I have to respect that.
“I’ll be back, I have no doubt. Wishing the boys all the luck in the world out in Germany, unbelievable group and lads that I literally call some of my best friends.
“I genuinely hope football comes home.”
On Friday night England face Iceland at Wembley in tbeir final warm-up match before this summer’s tournament in Germany, where their Group C campaign begins against Serbia on June 16 before further matches against Denmark and Slovenia.
It hasn’t sunk in… I’m going to The World Cup😭 Dreams really do come true😢🏴🏆 pic.twitter.com/DeKTECv3XT
— James Maddison (@Madders10) November 10, 2022
