Check out: James Maddison point about Leicester City relegation fight

Pundit Jamie Redknapp believes Leicester City will ‘stay up comfortably – if they can keep James Maddison fit for the rest of the season.

The city currently sits in 17th place in the Premier League table, one point above the bottom three. But a 1-1 draw with Brentford at the weekend stopped a run of four straight defeats in the league, with City looking to build on the result when they return against Crystal Palace after the international break.

Maddison has been a player on everyone’s lips in City’s fight against relegation this season. He has been one of the standout players in the Premier League but has missed some games in the campaign through injury.

It was Maddison who made the assist for Harvey Barnes’ second-half equalizer against the Bees at the weekend, playing a brilliant through ball to the City winger, who made no mistake with the finish past David Raya. He has since joined up with the England squad as he looks to earn his second international cap, three years and 16 months after his first.

The importance of Maddison to Brendan Rodgers’ team has been outlined by a number of pundits in recent weeks. Redknapp is the latest to speak about his impact on the team and the crucial part he will play in City’s fight against the drop.

“James Maddison is so key, he’s had a few injuries but played today, had to bring him off, but it was a big point for them against Brentford today,” he told Sky Sports on Saturday night. “Brentford’s a tough place to go, he came off quite late into the game but they were having to manage his injury.

“You do feel if James Maddison stays fit they’ll stay up comfortably because of what he can do on the ball – he played an incredible ball for Harvey Barnes today.

“He sees the game differently to anybody else and I always feel when you’re in a relegation battle, the players, or have watched the Premier League for so long, the players that play with no fear are the ones you want in this predicament. You don’t want players that are a little bit fearful, don’t want the ball, don’t take challenges.”

Maddison’s withdrawal on Saturday was not down to an injury, with the midfielder just suffering from a cramp. While the City man’s training is still being managed, Maddison has been pictured on the field with his England teammates on Tuesday as they prepare for the European qualifier against Italy.