MX23RW : Sunday, November 24 17:47:42| >> :600:182761:182761:

Brendan Rodgers: 'James Maddison is the perfect ingredient for a manager'

Brendan Rodgers: 'James Maddison is the perfect ingredient for a manager'
© Reuters
The Foxes midfielder is currently sidelined by injury.

Brendan Rodgers expects the battle for places in England's midfield to benefit Leicester as James Maddison faces a fight to get into Gareth Southgate's squad for the European Championships.

Maddison could miss this month's World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland with a hip injury, potentially a vital chance to impress as Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Mason Mount rival the Leicester man for the playmaker role.

The injury has forced Maddison to miss Leicester's four games and he will be sidelined again when they face troubled Sheffield United on Sunday, but Rodgers expects England to be on the 24-year-old's mind once he does return.

"He is still improving, he's still getting better," Rodgers said "He's one of the top performers at this level.

"And when he comes back, that will be motivation to continue with that. He's a very proud Englishman, he wants to play for England. But if he's playing well, scoring goals, creating goals, he can do no more than that."

No timetable has yet been given for when Maddison might be back, with a recurrence of an old hip problem coming at a bad time both for Leicester and the player as the season moves into the final 10 games.

But even if the injury keeps Maddison out a while longer, Rodgers believes the former Norwich man has already done enough to remain at the forefront of Southgate's mind.

"I think it's one where you have to look over the course of the season," Rodgers said. "It's like when you are fighting for your position in the league – it's what you do over the course of the season.

"Some players might play well in last five games, but if you haven't been very good for 33 before that then that's not so good.

"I think it's clear what you see in James. You see a very gifted player, a very talented player, who's added efficiency to his game.

"He produces numbers, he's effective and he's hungry, and he's very coachable and he wants to learn. He's the perfect ingredient for a coach and manager to work with."

Southgate has been a regular feature at the King Power stadium this season, keeping an eye on Harvey Barnes as well as Maddison.

Rodgers said he had not spoken to Southgate about either player, but did not expect to.

"I haven't spoken to Gareth since I've been here," he said. "I'm not sure whether he does with other managers, but certainly for me, no.

"And listen, I don't expect it either. Gareth is a good man, he's done an excellent job, for me, with the team. He has to make his own decisions. He knows every manager and coach will probably want to influence in terms of their own players, so he seeks independence from that.

"Apart from that, he does his job. I'm always here if he ever wants an opinion, or wants to ask on anything about a player, but thus far he has felt there's no need, so that's OK."

ID:439172: cacheID:439172:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4722:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
England manager Gareth Southgate pictured on September 8, 2020
Read Next:
Gareth Southgate: 'Condensed season makes England preparations harder'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Vikings
@
Bears
6pm
Lions
@
Colts
6pm
Patriots
@
Dolphins
6pm
Buccaneers
@
Giants
6pm
Chiefs
@
Panthers
6pm
Titans
@
Texans
6pm
Cowboys
@
Washington
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Raiders
9.25pm
49ers
@
Packers
9.25pm
Cardinals
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!