James Maddison: Tottenham midfielder to have knee surgery
Maddison has suffered a long-term injury
Tottenham midfielder James Maddison will have surgery on a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee.
Former England international Maddison went down clutching his leg with no contact from an opponent during the closing stages of Sunday’s 1-1 pre-season draw with Newcastle in Seoul.
The 28-year-old playmaker, who has recently returned to full fitness, was carried off on a stretcher, with manager Thomas Frank saying his issued “looked bad”.
“We’re pretty sure it was the same knee he injured before,” said Frank, reflecting on the contrast between Maddison’s ordeal and the farewell match for captain Son Heung-min.
“Sometimes in life and football things can be both beautiful and brutal. What happened to Madders is brutal… it didn’t look good.
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James Maddison Tottenham injuries
Maddison missed Tottenham’s final four Premier League games and the closing two matches of their glorious Europa League campaign last season with a right knee issue.
He was absent for five matches with a calf strain in January and February and sat out almost three months of the 2023/24 season with an ankle injury.
A knee problem kept Maddison out of six games in 2022/23 at former club Leicester and threatened his involvement at the 2022 Fifa World Cup, although he joined England’s squad and was a perennial unused substitute after missing their first two group games.
While with the Foxes, Maddison’s most serious injuries were two hip issues that sidelined him for a total of four months.
A back injury caused him to miss much of the 2014/15 season with his first club, Coventry City.
James Maddison stats
Sky Blues youth product Maddison joined Norwich City in February 2016 and was immediately loaned back to Coventry for the remainder of that season.
Norwich also loaned Maddison to Aberdeen during the 2016/17 season, where one of his two goals was a last-minute winner against Rangers.
The Canaries’ player of the season award followed in 2017/18, as well as a switch to Leicester in June 2018 for a reported fee of around £20m.
Maddison made 203 appearances and scored 55 times for Leicester, helping them to two top-five Premier League finishes and victory in the 2020/21 FA Cup final, followed by another player of the season accolade in 2021/22.
Tottenham paid £40m for Maddison in June 2023. One of the club’s vice-captains, his 12 goals in 45 appearances last season included nine goals in 31 in the Premier League and three in 11 in the Europa League.
James Maddison England record
Former Under-21 international Maddison made his senior debut in November 2019 against Montenegro, although he had to wait more than three years for his next minutes, against Ukraine in Euro 2024 qualifying.
An assist in a friendly against Belgium in March 2024 is his sole direct goal involvement for England, with his most recent appearance coming in June 2024 against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Then-Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate named Maddison in his provisional squad for Euro 2024 but did not include him when the squad was reduced to 26 players.
When does Tottenham’s 2025/26 Premier League season start?
After the Super Cup final against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in Udine on August 13 (20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), Spurs start their season at home to Burnley on August 16 (15:00 BST / 10:00 ET / 07:00 PT).
They then visit Manchester City on August 23 (12:30 BST / 07:30 ET / 04:30 PT) in a game that will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 1 and Ultimate.
The last round of matches will all start at the same time on May 24 2026. No rounds will take place within 60 hours of each other and there will be no fixture on December 24.