Why has James Maddison had to work harder than anyone else to get England recognition?

James Maddison England

James Maddison has been handed a belated recall to the England squad for their Euro 2020 qualifiers with Bulgaria and Kosovo, forcing his way into Gareth Southgate’s plans after a year on the fringes. The England manager has been strangely reluctant to call on Leicester’s midfielder throughout 2019, but he’s eventually been left with little choice as Maddison has again starred for an unbeaten Foxes side threatening the top six.

After his first call-up for the Nations League matches with Spain and Croatia late last year, in which he didn’t make an appearance, Maddison was sent back to the under-21s. Despite being consistently excellent in an up-and-down team, and creating more chances than any other player in the 2018/19 Premier League, he wasn’t recalled to the senior squad.

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