James Maddison not going to the World Cup with England would be “a shame for the country”, said Brendan Rodgers after the Leicester City midfielder scored another two goals on Monday.
Maddison’s continued absence from Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad has been the source of some contention.
The 25-year-old has earned only a single England cap, in November 2019, and appears to face an uphill battle to gain favour with Southgate before Qatar 2022 kicks off next month.
Yet Maddison has started the Premier League season in outstanding form. After scoring two and assisting another in Leicester’s 4-0 win over fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest, he has seven goal involvements in seven appearances.
Going back to the start of the previous campaign, Southgate‘s captain Harry Kane is the only English player with more Premier League goals (24) or goal involvements (34) than Maddison (17 goals, 10 assists).
“It’s such a shame for the country and for James himself,” manager Rodgers told Sky Sports. “You see his talent, and his performance level for the last 18 months I think everybody is clear on.
“I think it’s only Harry Kane who has created and scored more goals than him, so to not even be in the squad…
“Even if he’s not going to start, to have a player of that quality and not only in that, in international football, to have the personality to take the ball, be creative, take the ball and change the game, James is all of that. He’s an absolutely brilliant player.
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“I really hope over these next few months he can continue the form he’s shown for 18 months and somehow get into the team, because if you’re wanting creativity, you’re wanting personality – he’s improved his defensive side of his game, and he can play in a couple of positions.
“For me, he’s an absolutely outstanding player, and he’s up there.
“I love Phil Foden, Mason Mount, those boys who play there – Jack Grealish is different, Jack plays from the side – but Madders can play in a number of positions to a high level, and he showed that tonight.”
Maddison, who said suggestions he would not be a good character within the group if not starting were “insulting”, added: “It’s been a weird position for me.
“We [Leicester] have been bottom of the league, and results have not been going our way, but I’ve almost been as confident as I’ve ever been in my career.
“I don’t remember over the last 12 months playing better than I have and feeling as well as I have.
“It’s obviously hard to answer this question [on his England hopes], because you want to say the right thing, you don’t want to say the wrong thing, but that’s an ambition of mine, a goal of mine.
“I’m a football man, I watch all the games, I watch international football, and an opportunity at that level would be something I desire. I almost know I’d have an impact.
“It’s one I hope will come my way at some point.”
Source: Livescore