‘Didn’t surprise me’ – Gareth Southgate gives James Maddison verdict

England manager Gareth Southgate has responded to the performance of James Maddison in his first start for England and his first cap for more than three years.

The Leicester City midfielder was rewarded for his club form by being named in the starting lineup for the Euros qualifier against Ukraine on Sunday afternoon. Goals from Harry Kane and Bukayko Saka gave the Three Lions a 2-0 win at Wembley, making it a perfect start to qualification.

Maddison caught the eye with his performance too. The City man started on the left of a front three but was allowed to drift inside into his more natural central position, where he was able to find the space and pick up the ball in between Ukraine’s midfield and defense.

He played 86 minutes of the game before being replaced by Jack Grealish. Following the 2-0 victory, Southgate gave his reaction to Maddison’s performance.

“We were always going to start James Maddison,” he said. “He’s been playing really well for his club so we had no doubt he would fit in.

“His use of the ball was excellent.”

Speaking to channel 4, the England boss spoke more about Maddison and explained why he chose to give him his full debut against Ukraine.

“We wanted James to start on the left as a reference, nothing else, he wants to come and drift in and he found those spaces really well,” he said. “I thought he had a super game, it didn’t surprise me because he’s got the personality to play that way.”

He added: “We thought it was a good game to see him. It was a good level opponent so it wasn’t just a game you weren’t going to learn anything about him, it was defensively really solid for him.”

Maddison will now return to City and join up with the rest of the squad as they prepare for what could be a crucial Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Saturday. City travel to Selhurst Park for the 3 pm kick-off with just two points separating them and the Eagles in 12th place in the table.