Tottenham Hotspur started pre-season with a bang as they put five goals past Hearts on Wednesday.
James Maddison set up Tottenham’s opener when Brennan Johnson slotted home from close range against the Scottish Premiership side.
The performance would have delighted Ange Postecoglou, with Tottenham’s new summer transfer signing Archie Gray making an impression.
Spurs fans were all saying the same thing about Gray’s performance, with the London club due to play QPR on Saturday, before their trip to Asia and Harry Kane’s return with Bayern Munich.
And then the new Premier League campaign will kick off, with a trip to newly-promoted Leicester City for the opener.
You just wonder what Maddison will have lined up for Spurs fans in his second season because his debut campaign was eventful.
The 27-year-old started like a house on fire, scoring three goals and assisting five in his first 11 matches, but from then on, he only scored one more goal and provided four more assists.
Injuries didn’t help and Maddison was told that his injury derailed Tottenham’s season, as they ended the campaign fifth.
It also meant that Maddison was axed from England’s Euro 2024 squad, but he didn’t miss out on much as England were beaten by Spain in the final of Euro 2024.
Postecoglou was asked if he has spoken to the former Leicester man about that axe and he stated in a blunt fashion ‘I haven’t really spoken to him’, as he told Sky Sports News.
Instead, the Spurs boss added that it’s ‘part of a footballer’s career’ and praised his opening pre-season performance.
James Maddison’s axe from England’s Euro 2024 squad
“I haven’t really spoken to him,” said Postecoglou. “That’s part of a footballer’s career, you ride the bumps.
“Madders has come back and he is working hard in pre-season. He knows that he has a big year ahead of him, but we all have. It was good for him to get minutes and I thought he did well.”
Can James Maddison remain injury-free?
Not selected for the Euros and injured for large parts of the 2022 World Cup. That must be pretty tough to take for the player.
But he needs to see out a whole campaign without entering the treatment room because it’s hurting his performance.
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When the 7-cap England star returned from injury last season, he took a long while to get his form back and it proved costly.
If Maddison has another one of those bumps in the road, then it will be a case of the same old story repeating itself.
The post ‘I haven’t spoken to him': Postecoglou makes blunt James Maddison admission after Tottenham's pre-season win appeared first on HITC.
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