James Maddison withdraws from England squad with ankle injury

Tottenham Hotspur have announced that playmaker James Maddison has pulled out of the England squad for November's internationals with an ankle injury.

The former Leicester City man came off in first-half injury time during Monday's 4-1 loss to Chelsea, having damaged his ankle while sliding on the turf with nobody around him.

Ange Postecoglou was none the wiser about the severity of Maddison's problem after the game, simply stating that the 26-year-old would need further assessment in the coming days.

Nevertheless, Maddison was named in Gareth Southgate's 25-man group for this month's Euro 2024 qualifiers with North Macedonia and Malta, as the Three Lions aim to seal a first-placed finish in Group C.

However, Spurs announced on Friday morning that Maddison has withdrawn from the national team camp and will remain at Hotspur Way to undergo rehabilitation with the club's medical staff.

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"We can confirm that James Maddison has been withdrawn from the England squad due to an ankle injury," Tottenham said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"The midfielder will not feature in the Three Lions' UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, and will remain at Hotspur Way for rehabilitation with the Club's medical staff."

Maddison's England withdrawal also casts further doubt over his availability for Saturday's Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers, where Postecoglou will be working with a decimated group of players.

The Lilywhites have lost both of Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero to suspension owing to their dismissals against Chelsea, with the former serving a one-game ban for two yellow card offences.

Meanwhile, Romero will begin a three-match domestic ban for his straight red card, meaning that the Argentine will also miss meetings with Aston Villa and Champions Manchester City after the international break.

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Romero's centre-back partner Micky van de Ven could also be absent until the New Year with the hamstring concern he picked up in Monday's London derby, while Richarlison has undergone surgery on a pelvic problem.

Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon and Alfie Whiteman are all long-term absentees as they recover from surgeries, and there is uncertainty over the availability of Ben Davies, who has been nursing a blow to the ankle.

It remains to be seen whether Southgate will call up a replacement for Maddison, who was one of a handful of players called up for November's qualifiers despite recent injury scares.

Callum Wilson was recalled after coming off with a hamstring issue in Newcastle United's loss to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, while Bukayo Saka limped off in Arsenal's win over Sevilla but was also included.

England sealed their place at Euro 2024 with a 3-1 win over reigning champions Italy last month and will be confirmed as group winners with a draw against Malta next Friday, three days before the Three Lions round off a successful qualification campaign against North Macedonia in Skopje.