James Maddison says he holds no grudge against former England boss Gareth Southgate for axing him from his Euro 2024 squad.
The Tottenham midfielder was a high-profile omission when Southgate announced his final 26-man group for this summer’s tournament in Germany.
Maddison had stepped off the bench for England in their warm-up match against Bosnia-Herzegovina two days earlier but had an inconsistent second half of last season following injury.
The 27-year-old, who started in Tottenham’s opening 1-1 draw at former club Leicester on Monday night, told Sky Sports he had to accept Southgate’s decision.
He said: “Well you have no choice. You can’t change it once it’s happened. I was disappointed.
“Gareth’s a great man though. He explained his reasons. He’s a good person. It was never personal, we have a great relationship actually.
“I messaged him not long ago to congratulate him on his England managerial career and wished him well.
“There’s no hatred towards that. I knew it was a business decision, which he thought was best for the team, no doubt about that.
1️⃣2️⃣ months of @Madders10 🤍
James Maddison signed for Spurs #OTD last year! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/H3QJ0G3hVt— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 28, 2024
“I didn’t agree with him. I felt I could have brought something to the squad, but like I said, that’s all in the past now and my focus is to just have a good season.”
Maddison made an impressive start to last season following his £40million switch to Tottenham from Leicester but struggled to find top form after an ankle injury in November ruled him out for over two months.
He said he has used the disappointment from missing out on the Euros as “fuel” to ensure he is back to his best this season.
“I struggled to find the consistency second half of last season post injury,” he added.
“It’s always about how you deal with setbacks. I was devastated to miss out on the Euros but my network around me, my dad especially, he would never let me dwell on that and let it define me.
“I’m hungry this season to do well, to use it as motivation, to remind me that I can be at that level.”
