Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that James Maddison is "fine" after after being forced off during Leicester's clash with West Ham, just a week before the World Cup gets underway.
The midfielder was included in Gareth Southgate's squad for Qatar on Thursday, having enjoyed a stunning Premier League season so far. He celebrated that call-up by scoring the opening goal at the London Stadium, firing high into the net after just eight minutes.
But just 17 minutes after scoring that goal, Maddison had to be substituted after appearing to suffer a leg injury. The midfielder had just taken a corner when he began grabbing the back of his leg, which ultimately saw him being led off by Leicester's medical team.
Dennis Praet replaced him, with Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers consoling Maddison as he walked down the tunnel. Thankfully for England, Rodgers confirmed that Maddison had only been substituted off as a precaution, with the 25-year-old said to be ok.
"He is fine. he had an irritation on the other side of his knee. So there was no muscle injury. He hasn't trained so much from the Everton game, just a couple of lighter days. He wanted to try it, but he'll be ok, it was just a precaution. It's such a difficult day for players going to the World Cup and we've tried to protect him," Rodgers said.
It is a huge relief for the Three Lions, with his performances having left Southgate with no choice other than to select him. After confirming his inclusion in the squad, the England boss hailed Maddison for his displays for Leicester.
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“He's playing really well. Look, he's a good player. We've always said he's a good player. He's earned the right and we think he can give us something slightly different to the other attacking players that we've got," Southgate said on Thursday.
“So I think at various stages there have been conversations and debates about James. There have been moments where ahead of the EUROs, I don't think he was in contention because he had a bit of a problem with his hip. And then I think September was probably a fair debate.
"But I think he's playing as well as any of the attacking players in this country. And he is a bit different to the others. We've got different types of threat and I think we could need that. He's always been up against some really good players in that area of the pitch and there have been moments where we were playing 4-3-3 with no number ten type profile and that didn't necessarily fit.
“But he's playing exceptionally well. We like the fact that he finds those pockets of space. He turns, he plays forward and not enough players play forward in this day and age. And of course, his set-play delivery is outstanding and he can score goals from distance, which against low-block defences is another attribute that is a little bit different to some of our other players.”
