Danny Murphy says that while he is a fan of James Maddison, the Tottenham midfielder needs to improve his fitness and his defensive work if he is to become an elite player.
James Maddison was on fire when he first joined Spurs
Maddison had an outstanding start to his Spurs career following his move from Leicester City last summer, arguably being the best player across the Premier League for the first few months of the 2023-24 season.
However, the attacking midfielder failed to recapture the same sort of form when he returned from his ankle injury, struggling to impact games towards the end of the season.
The 27-year-old was subsequently left out of the England squad for the Euros and his performances in pre-season have not helped inspire too much confidence either.
In fact, many Spurs fans will feel that new arrival, Lucas Bergvall, has been better than the former Leicester man in the friendlies and that the Swede deserves the nod to start the club’s Premier League opener on Monday night.
Maddison needs to improve – says Danny Murphy
Murphy believes that in order to become a superstar at Spurs, Maddison needs to take his game to the next level.
The pundit told talkSPORT (9:14 pm, 13/8) about the attacking midfielder: “He is a phenomenal footballer, super intelligent, great balance, can open you up with his passing, can score a goal.
“Maddison, where he has got to improve to become a Tottenham superstar and actually be the difference in big games, is two things. One is his durability, staying clear of injuries and also coming off in games.
“Very rarely lasts 90 minutes, Maddison. Maybe it is a physical thing, maybe it’s a mental thing, who knows, but he has got to get better at that.
“The other thing I would suggest he needs to improve on a little bit is his defensive work, because when you play as a No.10 in a three, you have got to do your defensive work.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I have no concerns at all about Maddison. Not only does the 27-year-old ooze class but he is also a fierce competitor with a fantastic mentality.
He will want to prove a point to his critics during the upcoming season.