James Maddison says he is ready to help Tottenham secure Premier League survival after making his long-awaited return from injury.
The midfielder made his first competitive appearance in 12 months during Spurs’ 1-1 draw against Leeds, a result that left the North London side sitting 17th in the table and only two points above the relegation zone.
Maddison received a huge reception from supporters when he came off the bench and nearly won a stoppage-time penalty during an encouraging cameo appearance.
“It’s been a tough season for Tottenham. Really tough for the fans, really tough for the players. Lots of manager changes. It’s been a season to forget really,” Maddison said.
“Not being able to affect it and help the club has been difficult.”
‘Straight Down to Business’
Despite the emotional nature of his comeback, Maddison admitted his focus quickly shifted to helping Spurs win the match.
“Once I was out there and the first 30 seconds to a minute had gone by, it was like ‘now I’m on the pitch we need to get a winner here.’ The nice moment had gone,” he said.
“It was almost straight down to business. I would rather be safe and come on and enjoy and build up slowly, but that’s not the situation we are in.”
“When you are on the pitch you forget about anything else anyway when the adrenaline kicks in. When you get your first touch it’s just another game and I felt really good.”
Long Recovery After Serious Injury
Maddison’s road back has been a lengthy one after initially suffering a partial anterior cruciate ligament tear during Tottenham’s Europa League semifinal win over Bodo/Glimt last May.
The England international later suffered a full rupture during a preseason friendly against Newcastle United in South Korea, which eventually required surgery.
“In my head it goes back to the Europa League semi-final here when I got injured, because I did a partial ACL tear against Bodo/Glimt,” Maddison explained.
“I was told by the specialist it wouldn’t need surgery and rehab. Then obviously it wasn’t strong, it didn’t recover properly and I needed the full surgery.”
Maddison admitted the past year had been mentally challenging but believes he has emerged stronger from the experience.
“There have been some dark days in the last year, especially since the surgery,” he said.
“It has been a really tough year for me mentally but I’m at the end of the tunnel now so I can kind of look back on that with fondness because I’m as mentally strong as I can be after going through that.”
Maddison Helping Spurs’ Younger Players
Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has frequently praised Maddison’s influence around the dressing room during his recovery, with the midfielder revealing he has tried to help younger and overseas players understand the seriousness of the club’s relegation battle.
“I always try and help,” Maddison said.
“Being from this country and knowing what it means for the fans, I can feel that and portray that in a way to players from other countries or who don’t speak the language so perfectly or younger players who maybe don’t understand as much as I do.”
“I just try to help and say whatever I feel will help the team or the individual player.”
