James Maddison was the surprise name in England’s 26-man World Cup squad, but Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate insisted he had decided to take him to Qatar "two weeks ago".
The Leicester City midfielder, whose sole cap came in 2019, has been in irresistible form for the Foxes, with only Harry Kane, among Englishmen, having more Premier League goal involvements in 2022; despite his side’s poor form, he has scored 13 goals and assisted nine during the calendar year.
Yet while that has stacked up favourably against his peers, Southgate has previously been reticent to call up the 25-year-old, much to the chagrin of his club manager, Brendan Rodgers.
