Maddison rightly rewarded but Maguire over Tomori laughable: Winners & losers from England’s World Cup squad announcement

There is no doubt that Maddison deserved to be in the England squad. A quick look at his numbers over the past 18 months tells you all you needed to know.

Since August 2020, he tops the charts when it comes to goal contributions (30) from English midfielders in the Premier League. He’s ahead of the likes of Bukayo Saka, Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish.

And he’s done that in a struggling Leicester City side, which makes his output all the more impressive.

Yes, there are some question marks over his temperament and how he handles himself off the pitch. His decision to go out to a casino when he had pulled out an England squad through illness in 2019 was certainly ill-advised.

But players make mistakes. Other players in this England squad have and they haven’t been permanently banished by Gareth Southgate.

So, it would have been a travesty had he not made it on the plane to Qatar. This is football and you have to be rewarded for your performances in the here and now.

And right now Maddison is as good as it gets when it comes to English midfielders, so it’s good to see Southgate swallow some of his pride and make the right call.

Maddison isn’t the answer to England’s prayers. He’s not the wildcard who is suddenly going to come in and win them the World Cup. 

But the simple fact is that he deserves to be in the 26-man squad.