James Maddison warning issued as Tottenham face 'serious concern'

Tottenham could be hit with a serious concern over James Maddison.

That is the view of Spurs expert John Wenham, who was reacting after he missed the 2-0 win over Auckland on Sunday.

An anterior cruciate ligament injury meant that he missed a total of 277 days of football for Spurs, before returning in April.

The attacking midfielder did play three Premier League matches at the end of the last campaign, but he has not been seen in pre-season so far.

Tottenham News have previously covered how important Maddison is to Roberto De Zerbi's side.

Therefore, it is vital that he returns sooner rather than later and is ready to start their opening competitive game.

Why is James Maddison's lack of involvement in Tottenham's tour a concern?

Wenham believes that it is crucial for Maddison to return shortly, otherwise it will be very worrying.

The Lilywhite Rose owner is hopeful that he will feature either against Sydney FC or Chelsea in the coming week, but sent a warning to the club if that does not happen.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “It is frustrating that James Maddison has gone on the tour, and not only in the first tour game against Auckland, but also the friendly against MK Dons, that he didn't feature at all.

“Towards the back end of last season he was making a few appearances, I was hoping that this pre-season he'd be ready from the first game to be able to contribute, having had the whole summer off as well, building on his fitness, so I'm hopeful he will feature in these next few friendlies we've got out in Australia.

“If he doesn't, then that is a serious concern.”

What has De Zerbi said about Maddison's absence?

De Zerbi has already spoken about Maddison's absence so far on the tour.

The Italian did not give much away, though, and it seemed like he may be hiding a bigger blow that is to come.

Speaking after the clash with Auckland, he said: "He's not working the last five days, I think, like Destiny Udogie, but they have not a big problem, just to stay focused, don't take any risks."

Perhaps Wenham is right, and there is a reason for supporters of the N17 outfit to be concerned.

Tottenham desperately need him to be back in the side, and if he has suffered a fresh setback, it will be brutal after all the positivity this summer in North London.