James Maddison has admitted he is "desperate" to play some minutes at the World Cup - but reiterated his dedication to the cause as England prepare to face France in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
The Leicester midfielder has been one of the standout midfielders in the Premier League over the past 12 months, grabbing 18 goals and 12 assists since the start of last season - more than any every other Englishman apart from Harry Kane in the top flight.
However, Maddison has been overlooked at the tournament and is one of only five players yet to play a minute for the Three Lions. Conor Coady, Nick Pope, Conor Gallagher and Aaron Ramsdale have also failed to get onto the pitch in Qatar, although Maddison missed the first two group matches due to a knee injury he picked up in early November.
Maddison was a doubt for the clash with Iran and inevitably missed out on selection for the game, while he was also unavailable for the fixture against United States. The 26-year-old was named as an unused substitute in the 3-0 win over Wales, and again in the last-16 success against Senegal.
"Involvement doesn’t always mean minutes on the pitch and that’s something that I’ve probably learned in the last few weeks of being out here," Maddison told talkSPORT on Monday. "Of course, every player wants to play and I’m no different, I’m desperate to get out there and show what I can do but it’s one of them.
"It’s my first major tournament at senior level and it’s brilliant to be a part of. It’s such a learning curve and you gain so much experience on a daily basis without even realising on how it works and what it takes to be successful.
"We have been successful – what a brilliant performance last night. We were very convincing against a good Senegal team in the knockouts.
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"I’m feeling good. The injury is gone, I’m feeling 100 per cent. I’ve been training for a while now and have been available for the last couple of games and so it’s just about being patient, staying ready, which I am, working hard and trying to be an option for the manager."
Maddison and England are preparing for a crucial quarter-final tie against France, who booked their place in the last eight thanks to a comfortable 3-1 win over Poland on Sunday afternoon. Olivier Giroud's strike put Les Bleus in front before Kylian Mbappe's brace secured the victory.
The latter's double took his tally to five goals at the tournament. The Paris Saint-Germain star has been in sensational form and is the man to stop at the weekend, with Gareth Southgate's side aiming to reach their second successive World Cup semi-final.
