Mueez Ajao
– It may have been a difficult season so far for Leicester but James Maddison has been a starring light amid the gloom.
– The midfielder once again shone in Monday’s 4-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest, scoring two and setting up another to help lift the Foxes off the bottom of the table.
– It means Harry Kane is the only other Englishman to have more goal involvements than the 25-year-old in the Premier League since the start of last season.
Also Read: Maddison scores twice as dominant Leicester ease past Randers
– So with just seven weeks until the start of the World Cup, is Maddison hoping to make a late dash for Gareth Southgate’s squad for Qatar?
– “That is an ambition of mine, it is a goal of mine,” Maddison told Sky Sports. “An opportunity at that level is one I would desire and one I know I would make an impact at.”
– ‘I have been as confident as I have ever been’
– Maddison’s sole England cap came as a substitute against Montenegro in November 2019.
– The previous month he was pictured in a casino after pulling out of a squad for a Euro 2020 qualifier against the Czech Republic, with Southgate later saying Maddison will have learned there is “increased interest” in England players.
– Since then he has seen the likes Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Mason Mount establish themselves in the Three Lions squad ahead of him.
– However Maddison’s fine form could give Southgate something to think about.
– The former Norwich player has 17 goals and 10 assists in 42 appearances since the start of last season – more than Foden, Grealish and Mount.
– Indeed his 14 goal involvements in his last 11 Premier League appearances going back to 11 May is bettered only by Manchester City’s superstar striker Erling Haaland.
– What makes that form all the more remarkable is that it has come playing in a team that has struggled for results so far this campaign.
– “It has been a weird position because we have been bottom of the league but I have been as confident as I have ever been,” said Maddison. “I don’t remember over the past 12 months playing better and feeling better.
– “I am not naive, I know there are top, top players in the forward areas but I have a self-belief I am a top player and can be in that category.
– “I have to force my way in because the players at the big clubs are in and they are top. I think there could be a space for me, so I will keep working hard.”
