Unfortunately, James Maddison had to withdraw from the England squad on Friday as he’s nursing an injury he picked in Tottenham’s 4-1 defeat to Chelsea on Monday. He’s expected to miss up to three months for Spurs. No sweat for Gareth Southgate though as he has an abundance of options that he could replace Maddison with.
Who Can Replace James Maddison?
The obvious choice here is James Ward-Prowse. He’s been incredible for West Ham since joining from Southampton in the summer. He’ll have done himself no harm after he produced a splendid assist for Lucas Paqueta to finish off in their recent 1-0 Europa League win over Olympiakos.
That’s now ten G/A for Ward-Prowse in just 16 appearances in all competitions. West Ham’s final game before the international break comes at home to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
This match will be broadcasted on Sky Sports Premier League with a 2pm kick-off time. Ward-Prowse will be hoping that he’s in the England squad by then.
Could Gareth Give Gordon a Go?
Anthony Gordon is another contender. Gordon plays on the wing compared to Maddison’s attacking midfield role but since James Maddison is down in the squad as an attacker, it’ll still work out for Southgate.
Gordon has four goals and four assists in the Premier League so far for Newcastle which pits him as a more credible option than the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish. If you add their stats together this season it sits at just the one goal.
Cole Palmer has also impressed at Stamford Bridge. Palmer was part of a shock summer transfer that saw him move from his boyhood club to top six rivals Chelsea. He’ll be facing his former club on Sunday (4:30pm, Sky Sports Premier League) and Palmer will be hoping he can add to the seven G/A he has already this season.
Palmer’s teammate Raheem Sterling is another option. Sterling was once a regular in Southgate’s squad and he has been a star player in their recent tournaments. He’ll be hoping he can return to the England squad before the 2024 Euros in Germany in June, but can also read why the England boss left Sterling out in the first place here.
A decision is expected to be made by the end of today as to who Southgate will choose. The England manager may have some more thinking to do as reports are coming out that Callum Wilson could also withdraw with injury.
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