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It has been revealed that Roberto De Zerbi had a very interesting motive for naming James Maddison in Tottenham’s matchday squad against Brighton.
Maddison is yet to feature for Tottenham this season and is still working his way back from the ACL injury he suffered in South Korea during last summer’s pre-season.
Maddison was spotted training with his Tottenham teammates last week, which got the Spurs faithful excited.
The attacking midfielder has been teasing Spurs fans about his return, and supporters were pleasantly surprised to see him named on the bench for the clash against Brighton on Saturday.
Roberto De Zerbi’s inclusion of James Maddison in the Tottenham squad was a ‘symbolic’ gesture
The former Leicester man remained an unused substitute as the Lilywhites were held to a 2-2 draw against the Seagulls.
GiveMeSport now reveal that Maddison was never likely in contention to feature against Brighton, and his inclusion in the squad was a ‘symbolic’ gesture by De Zerbi to show that the good times are coming back.
The Tottenham head coach decided to name the attacking midfielder in the squad to give a boost to the players and the supporters ahead of the game.
The outlet explains that Maddison’s leadership is valued at Tottenham, and De Zerbi wanted the morale of the dressing room to be lifted by the 29-year-old’s inclusion, even though he never intended to bring him on.
When can we expect to see Maddison back for Spurs?
According to Football.London, the Tottenham star is still a fair way away from returning to action, with his return to training just a small step towards his reintegration at this stage of his rehabilitation.
With Spurs having just five league games left, it is unclear if we will see Maddison in action this season.
De Zerbi has said that he will not push Maddison too much in his quest to return after Mohammed Kudus suffered a major setback in the final stages of his rehabilitation.
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