James Maddison withdraws from England duty

Less than 24 hours after being selected by Gareth Southgate for two upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers, James Maddison has withdrawn from the England squad due to an ankle injury sustained during Tottenham Hotspur's 4-1 defeat to Chelsea.

Despite Southgate's initial confidence in Maddison's availability, the 26-year-old midfielder's absence has been confirmed for England's matches against Malta on 17 November and North Macedonia on 20 November.

Southgate had expressed optimism about Maddison's condition, attributing his substitution in the Chelsea game to precautionary measures amid Spurs' struggle with 10 players after Cristian Romero's dismissal.

The challenge for Southgate lies in obtaining accurate injury updates from clubs, a concern he raised when initially naming the squad and identifying Newcastle's Callum Wilson as the player most at risk of missing out.

Maddison's rehabilitation is set to take place at the Hotspur Way training center under the supervision of the club's medical staff.

England had previously secured qualification for the Euro 2024 in Germany with a 3-1 victory over Italy in their last qualifier at Wembley.