Tottenham Hotspur star attacking midfielder James Maddison still has not been able to start a game for the club after tearing his ACL at the end of the 2024/25 season. He returned to get some minutes off the bench at the end of the 2025/26 Premier League season when Spurs were fighting out of relegation, and while he did not play much, it was quite apparent to Spurs fans that he is a totally different caliber of player from the rest of his teammates in terms of his technical quality, decision making, and creativity.
Even though Maddison has had the full offseason and preseason to recover, he still did not get starts in the preseason and was not in the XI against Brentford on Matchday 1. Tottenham suffered tremendously with Conor Gallagher as the No. 10, as the England international fared out much worse than even the Spurs faithful expected.
Maddison did come in to help Spurs off the bench, but it was obviously too little, too late as a thoroughly outclassed Tottenham side fell 3-0 to their local rivals at the Gtech Stadium. And on top of that, Maddison may have picked up a new injury, too.
Tottenham cannot trust James Maddison to stay healthy
According to a report from Mike McGrath of the Daily Telegraph, James Maddison needed to be checked by the Tottenham Hotspur medical team after picking up a knock in the Brentford game. Maddison reportedly fell awkwardly on his shoulder. There is hope he can return this weekend against Newcastle United, and while that says he did not sustain a serious injury, it does imply he is not expected to play on Wednesday in the League Cup against Charlton Athletic.
Since coming to Tottenham, Maddison has played well when on the pitch but has not been anything special as a No. 10. And while an ACL tear is a major injury for sure, Maddison has also picked up a lot of little ones along the way, earning a reputation for being one of the most injury prone players in the Premier League.
Tottenham have a lot of issues with key players not being available, and Maddison is one of the least available. He has become upset with fans for speculating about his injuries and his status, but the label of him being made of glass isn't going away. This latest bump is another reminder to Tottenham fans of why they are so concerned with Madders and why many of them even wanted him gone this summer so that Spurs could move on to a young, better, and healthier attacking midfielder like Morgan Gibbs-White.
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