Gareth Southgate insists James Maddison deserves his place in Qatar | Football

England boss Southgate hit out at ‘misconceptions’ over Maddison, who has not played for his country since winning his only cap against Montenegro in 2019 but will join up with the rest of the 26-man party to fly to the Middle East on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old was believed to be out of favour because he visited a casino after withdrawing from the England squad through illness in October 2019 and there was speculation he would be left out for the tournament.

But following six goals for the Foxes this season and a string of standout performances, Southgate says Maddison (pictured) has ‘earned the right’ to be part of the squad.

‘He is a bit of a football student. I think there are some misconceptions about him,’ said Southgate. ‘I’ve always said it was football reasons for not selecting him and in the main the capabilities of others in the group and that’s the case. I’ve got no concerns about how he will be with the group.

‘Some will know they have more realistic than others because they will know the experience of players who may have been playing more regularly and they will know the form of the players. But we have to have an open mind.’

Southgate also picked Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips, who are returning from injury, and 
forwards Marcus Rashford and Callum Wilson ahead of Tammy Abraham and Ivan Toney, while also 
leaving out Fikayo Tomori and James Ward-Prowse.

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