In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, James Maddison revealed he had received a phone call from the new England manager, Thomas Tuchel.
The former Leicester midfielder in the interview spoke about Spurs’ crunch Europa League last-16 second-leg encounter against AZ Alkmaar at home on Thursday, their mixed feelings after their 2-2 draw against Bournemouth over the weekend, and how their league position(13th) affects the team’s mentality – with so many injuries to key players being a defining factor in their very patchy season.
“Well, it’s a massive factor, and I don’t want to sound like I’m making loads of excuses, but when you have such a long period of time in the busiest part of the year where you miss(Guglielmo)Vicario, (Cristian)Romero, (Micky) Van de Ven (Destiny) Udogie, (Dominic) Solanke, Richarlison for long periods, not just one game or two games, it is a defining factor.” – Maddison
Spurs face AZ Alkmaar on Thursday in the second-leg fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and will need to score more than once to overturn a 1-0 away loss in the first leg.
This will be a massive boost – putting them in a better position to win the Europa League – their first ever in many years.
Maddison isn’t having a bad season at all. With 36 games under his belt in the current season, the England attacking midfielder had been looking forward to speaking to the former Bayern and Chelsea manager after his appointment in October 2024.
The England international would want to build on his 10 goals in all competitions this season, while he stays fit for a possible call-up selection.
In the interview, he stated his ambition and readiness to play for England while confirming a call from the new manager, Thomas Tuchel.
“Yeah, we had a chat. He’s England manager, I think he would be speaking to everyone who’s in possible call-up selection,” Maddison said.
“Of course, England is another thing that I have ambition for. Fresh manager, fresh start, I know I can play at that level, I have the self-belief to do that, play against these players every week in the Premier League and I know I can be at that level and beyond, so ambitious for it all.”
