Pundit wants to see ‘outstanding’ Spurs man start at number 10 or wide left

Micah Richards would love to see Gareth Southgate hand James Maddison another start against Italy on Tuesday.

Maddison won his fifth cap for England in their friendly over Australia on Friday, with the Tottenham man operating in a number ten role behind Ollie Watkins.

It was largely a cagey affair at Wembley as the Three Lions edged out the Socceroos 1-0, with the Spurs star not getting too much space or time on the ball.

It remains to be seen whether the 26-year-old will keep his place in the side for the Euro qualifier against Italy, with Jude Bellingham expected to be back in the starting eleven.

Over the weekend, Southgate spoke in glowing terms about the Tottenham man’s quality and his impact in the England dressing room (Tom Barclay).

Should Maddison start again for England vs Italy?

Richards has suggested that Maddison showed enough against Australia to warrant a start against Italy, suggesting that the Spurs star can play on the left if Bellingham comes into the side.

The pundit said on The Rest Is Football podcast: “I’d love to see Maddison again. I think he’s outstanding in that number 10 role. I don’t think he had his best game the other day. They could play him off the left though [if Bellingham starts at 10].”

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I do not think Southgate would tweak his formation to accommodate both Maddison and Bellingham as his efforts to do so against Ukraine last month backfired. So, I expect the Real Madrid man to start, with Maddison likely to be relegated to the bench.