Teddy Sheringham believes that James Maddison will have a lot of fire in his belly at the start of the season and will be keen to prove a point to his doubters.
Maddison struggled after his injury
After making a terrific start to his Tottenham career, Maddison’s form fell down a cliff during the second half of last season, with the attacking midfielder struggling after returning from his injury layoff.
The 27-year-old faced a massive heartbreak in the summer as he missed out on England’s squad for the Euros despite being an important member of the Three Lions set-up all the way through qualification.
Sheringham expects Maddison to be hungry to make a statement this season and to show the new England boss that he deserves to be a mainstay in the team.
Maddison and Solanke could be a dream duo
The Spurs legend told OnlinePoker (as relayed by FourFourTwo): “I think for James Maddison, he will definitely be playing with a point to prove this season after missing out on a place in the England squad.
“I have no doubt that he will be looking at a new managerial change at England and thinking that he wants to be part of that future. Of course, to do that, he needs to get back to his best playing for Tottenham.
“I think he will have a massive amount of hunger to show what he’s all about as a player this season, so maybe missing out on the Euros will be a blessing in disguise for him and for Tottenham.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the response he shows in the opening game against his old club Leicester.”
Sheringham felt that the arrival of Dominic Solanke could also help Maddison, backing the pair to establish a good relationship on the pitch and the striker to finish off the chances created by the former Leicester man.
The 58-year-old continued: “I also want to see what Solanke’s arrival does for his game. They’re obviously good mates, they’ve played together with the England youth teams, and I think that’s a key relationship for Tottenham this season.
“Solanke could be the perfect foil for Maddison. I can see Maddison creating a lot of things for Solanke, and he would have been waiting for the club to sign a top striker to finish off all the cute little balls that he can play.
“The signing of Solanke is a bit like when the club signed Jurgen Klinsmann to replace me. It was a big one, and I hope that it gives everyone a massive lift at the football club.
“If Solanke starts finishing all the chances that Maddison can create for him, then all of a sudden everyone is talking about Maddison and England again.”
Spurs Web Opinion
We know that Maddison is a real competitor and has a fabulous mentality, which is why I am quite excited to see how he responds after the heartbreak of the summer.