Former England and Chelsea star Joe Cole has hailed James Maddison as outstanding as speculation continues to grow over his future at Leicester City, while Jermain Defoe admits he would have loved to have played with the ex-Norwich City ace.
Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are both keen admirers of the 26-year-old playmaker and are keen to do a deal with the relegated Foxes this summer following their shock relegation last month.
Spurs are believed to have seen a £50m bid rebuffed by the Championship club, which also included Maddison's Foxes teammate Harvey Barnes, with Eddie Howe's Toon keeping tabs on matters.
Maddison played 70 minutes on Friday night in Malta as England romped to an easy 4-0 win to keep their unbeaten start to life in European Championship qualifying ahead of Monday's Old Trafford clash with North Macedonia.
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Speaking on Channel 4, Cole hailed Maddison and questioned why the Coventry-born ace had only picked up a couple of caps for his country under Gareth Southgate.
"He is an outstanding footballer. He understands his role on the pitch so well and he gets in goalscoring positions, he’s effective," Cole said. "I have been banging on the drum for many years and the only thing for me is this is only his second cap for England.
"He is such a talented boy, he picks pockets as good as anyone I have seen. He finds space when it seems like there is none there and he’s going to be crucial."
Cole's fellow pundit at the Ta'Qali National Stadium, Jermain Defoe, echoed those thoughts, admitting playing with Maddison would have been a joy, suggesting these two qualifying games gave the Foxes man the perfect opportunity to put himself in the shop window.
"Absolutely (a chance to put himself in the shop window). It is an opportunity to show everyone how good he is. If I was a young player I would watch him - looking at how he receives the ball and he’s always scanning. I would love to play with him.
