Tottenham handed major James Maddison injury boost with best case international scenario
It’s time for every manager in the Premier League’s recurring nightmare – the international break. Unfortunately for Ange Postecoglou, in a season where his Tottenham side have shown the difference between them and the rest of the competition, he’ll be no different to any other as he becomes powerless to stop anything untoward happening to his top stars.
It’s been less than a month since the last round of international fixtures came around, but Postecoglou’s men came through unscathed last time out. Despite that, they’ve still suffered their fair share of injuries already this season.
Ivan Perisic and Giovani Lo Celso are two of their key stars out for the foreseeable future, but James Maddison and Heung-Min Son have both been constant worries over the past few weeks. The pair have been pivotal to Spurs’ success this season, with eight goals and five assists between them already this campaign.
The England international’s reintroduction into the squad had to be especially cautious given the fact he’s been seen on crutches and in a protective ankle boot already this term. Despite that though, he played almost a full 90 minutes and scored in the 5-2 demolition of Burnley back in September.
Since then, he’s played at least 75 minutes in each of their four Premier League clashes and has now been picked for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions ahead of their Euro 2024 qualification double-header. He’s the only English player in the Spurs squad to have been chosen for senior international duty, with the likes of Oliver Skipp and Eric Dier both missing out while Ashley Phillips received a call-up to the England Under-19s.
Travel is one of the key parts of any international break, with some South American players flying to and from their respective matches only a few days before the return of the Premier League last month after playing in poor conditions.
