England's James Maddison says he is ''desperate'' to get in on the action at the World Cup after being left on the bench for all four games so far.
- Maddison carried injury into World Cup
- Midfielder has not played any minutes in Qatar
- Leicester star is eager to get on the field
WHAT HAPPENED? Leicester midfielder Maddison has not played a single minute of action in Qatar yet, and while he is happy to be part of the Three Lions squad as he gains invaluable career experience, he wants to be given a chance to shine on the big stage.
WHAT THEY SAID: ''Involvement doesn’t always mean minutes on the pitch and that’s something that I’ve probably learned in the last few weeks of being out here,'' he told talkSPORT. ''Of course, every player wants to play and I’m no different, I’m desperate to get out there and show what I can do but it’s one of them. It’s my first major tournament at senior level and it’s brilliant to be a part of. It’s such a learning curve and you gain so much experience on a daily basis without even realising on how it works and what it takes to be successful."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Maddison has made just one senior appearance for England - against Montenegro in November 2019. The 26-year-old was battling a knee injury at the start of the tournament but he says he is fit and raring to go now.
He added: "I’m feeling good. The injury is gone, I’m feeling 100 per cent. I’ve been training for a while now and have been available for the last couple of games and so it’s just about being patient, staying ready, which I am, working hard and trying to be an option for the manager.''
WHAT NEXT FOR MADDISON? The midfielder will hope to be involved when England take on France in the quarter-finals of the World Cup on Saturday.