Will James Maddison be available for Tottenham's Premier League opener vs Brentford?

James Maddison will be itching to get back on the pitch for Tottenham's Premier League opener with Brentford.

The veteran attacking midfielder spent most of last season on the sidelines with a knee injury.

He was out for 375 days, finally making his return from the substitutes bench in the 1-1 draw with Leeds in May.

He played in two further games, but has not featured at all in pre-season due to a hip issue.

His status for the first league game of the 2026-27 campaign is uncertain, which could provide Roberto De Zerbi with a dilemma.

Tottenham News looks at whether Maddison could make it back for the clash with the Bees.

How did Tottenham star James Maddison react when he returned from injury?

Maddison's three games at the end of last season provided hope that he could return to the same player that he was, for the new campaign.

Per Fotmob data, he had two shots for a total of 0.21 expected goals in the 34 minutes that he played.

He averaged 16.2 sprints per game, and a top speed of 19.88mph, according to Sofascore's data, suggesting that he was back to a good physical level.

The 29-year-old also completed 95 per cent of his passes after his comeback, showing his brilliant accuracy and vision.

De Zerbi will be desperate to get him back into the mix, but he may have to hold off on throwing him into the deep end against Keith Andrews' side.

What has De Zerbi said about Maddison's return?

He has failed to build on that return in pre-season, with De Zerbi unwilling to risks with his fitness.

The manager spoke about Maddison before the 2-1 win over Chelsea in Australia in quotes reported by the Standard, and it sounded like he was just being careful with him.

He said: “James has a small problem, like I said, I don't want to take any risks, especially in this part of the season.

“Especially for James, because he suffered a long injury last season."

The boss' comments suggest that the midfielder could be back in action for the Brentford clash, but it is unlikely that he will start.

The Italian is not willing to risk a re-injury, and if he comes back into the fold too soon, that only increases the chances of that happening.

A lack of match fitness from not featuring across the preparations would surely hinder his fitness and lead to more issues.

A slow re-integration is the safest option, and seems to be the path that will be taken give the no-risk strategy.