James Maddison was full of joy after speaking to Gareth Southgate from my office — Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers has revealed James Maddison was in his manager’s office at Leicester City’s training ground when the midfielder found out he was included in England’s 26-man World Cup squad.

England manager Gareth Southgate rang Maddison to tell him he had made the cut due to previous speculation suggesting he was going to be left out.

Maddison, 25, missed a call from Southgate but then managed to speak to the England manager before training with Leicester with an extra spring in his step.

Rodgers, speaking of Maddison’s inclusion, said: “He had a missed call from Gareth, just before we were ready to go out training. I told him to pop into my office and take the call privately. He spoke to Gareth and then came out full of the joy of the world. A great moment for him.

“It is wonderful news for James and his family, and everyone here at Leicester. I am also delighted for Gareth to have that talent available in such a great tournament. I think his level of consistency, worth ethic and talent that have been proven over the last few years has swung that decision for him because he is a fantastic player and one of the best players in the Premier League.

“I am delighted for him and also his team-mates, because without them it is also difficult to play to that level. I have seen him want to prove the point to himself that he wants to keep improving and developing. I sense that desire to improve and be the best he can be. When I spoke to him this morning anticipating either way, because he obviously didn’t know, we spoke about the next World Cup.

“If he got the decision or not it was about progressing and developing, and he has got that mentality to do that. The most important thing for James, having got just one cap before, was just getting there. I think when he gets there you never know what might happen in a World Cup. A bit of luck could go your way, but he will have training sessions and opportunities to show his whole package. There are other top players there but he is in the mix.”

Maddison’s only England cap to date came back in November 2019 but he has returned to the fold after scoring six goals and claiming four assists in 12 Premier League games this season.

Southgate said on Maddison’s inclusion: “He’s playing really well. He’s a good player. We’ve always said he’s a good player. He’s earned the right. We think he can give us something slight different to the other attacking players that we’ve got.”

Conor Gallagher has also been included in Southgate’s squad, while the likes of Ivan Toney, Joe Gomez and Fikayo Tomori were left out.

Follow live updates on England’s World Cup squad announcement here

GO DEEPER

Talisman, tactician, team player – James Maddison has become integral to Leicester

(Photo: Getty Images)