James Maddison sends message to Tottenham fans after making long-awaited return from injury hell | OneFootball

James Maddison has declared himself ready to tackle Tottenham’s precarious Premier League position head-on, as he aims to help the club avoid relegation after a "season to forget".

The midfielder made his long-awaited return to competitive action following a year-long injury lay-off, featuring in the latter stages of Spurs’ 1-1 draw against Leeds on Monday night.

The result leaves the north London side in 17th place, just two points clear of the relegation zone.

Maddison, 29, entered the pitch to a thunderous reception, making an encouraging cameo that saw him nearly win a stoppage-time penalty. He revealed that any personal concerns about his comeback quickly faded as the urgency of the situation took over.

"It’s been a tough season for Tottenham. Really tough for the fans, really tough for the players. Lots of manager changes. It’s been a season to forget really. Not being able to affect it and help the club has been difficult," Maddison stated.

He added: "Once I was out there and the first 30 seconds to a minute had gone by, it was like ‘now I’m on the pitch we need to get a winner here’. The nice moment had gone. It was almost straight down to business.

open image in gallery

Maddison was heavily involved after coming off the bench (Getty)

“I would rather be safe and come on and enjoy and build up slowly, but that’s not the situation we are in. When you are on the pitch you forget about anything else anyway when the adrenaline kicks in. When you get your first touch it’s just another game and I felt really good."

Maddison’s journey back to the pitch has been arduous, beginning with a partial tear of his anterior cruciate ligament last May during Spurs’ 3-1 Europa League victory over Bodo/Glimt.

Despite an external specialist advising against surgery, the injury did not recover properly, leading to a full rupture in a pre-season friendly against Newcastle on 3 August and subsequent surgery in South Korea.

Reflecting on his ordeal, Maddison said: "In my head it goes back to the Europa League semi-final here when I got injured, because I did a partial ACL tear against Bodo/Glimt. I was told by the (external) specialist it wouldn’t need surgery and rehab.

“Then obviously it wasn’t strong, it didn’t recover properly and I needed the full surgery which is what happened in South Korea. That being said, that was still an amazing moment which will live with me forever that reception I got. There have been some dark days in the last year, especially since the surgery."

He continued: "It has been a really tough year for me mentally but I’m at the end of the tunnel now so I can kind of look back on that with fondness because I’m as mentally strong as I can be after going through that.

“Physically I feel really good, so the moment personally is something that will live with me forever the reception Spurs fans gave me."

open image in gallery

Roberto De Zerbi has frequently praised Maddison’s influence at Tottenham (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi had frequently praised Maddison’s influence within the dressing room even before his return to fitness. The England international confirmed his efforts to impress upon his teammates the gravity of their situation and what it means to the club’s supporters.

"I always try and help," Maddison explained. "Being from this country and knowing what it means for the fans, I can feel that and portray that in a way to players from other countries or who don’t speak the language so perfectly or younger players who maybe don’t understand as much as I do.

“I just try to help and say whatever I feel will help the team or the individual player."