James Maddison vows to come back 'better and stronger'

James Maddison has told supporters he will be back 'better and stronger' after his ankle injury.

The Tottenham midfielder is sidelined until 2024 after going to ground in the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea on Monday night.

His blow came as part of a double whammy for Spurs, who lost fellow summer arrival and bright starter Micky van de Ven in the sobering defeat.

Maddison withdrew from the England squad for their next Euro 2024 qualifiers and, depending on his progress, he could be out for two to three months.

'The rollercoaster that is football unfortunately. Will need a period of time away from the pitch to get this one right,' he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

He added: 'See you in the new year Spurs fans, I’ll be back better & stronger for sure, promise you that.'

Losing Maddison for any length of time will be a huge blow to Ange Postecoglou's fledgling administration in north London.

Since his £45million switch from Leicester City, the 26-year-old has bagged three goals and five assists and won the Premier League Player of the Month award in August.

The concerns over Maddison’s long-term fitness arrive amid a growing injury crisis that has seen Richarlison ruled out after undergoing pelvic surgery.

Ivan Perisic, Manor Solomon, and Ryan Sessegnon are not expected to return until next year either.

While he went to ground untouched in the first half against Chelsea, Maddison' prognosis was worse than Spurs had initially feared.

Drawing 1-1 at the time, they went on to lose that game 4-1 and have since lost 2-1 at Wolves.

Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina both scored in stoppage time in a late show at the Molineux to hand Postecoglou his second Premier League defeat.

For England, Maddison's absence will not be too keenly felt on the pitch - their Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia present a modest challenge.

All the same, Gareth Southgate will be watching keenly to see how Maddison's rehabiliation grows and what sort of form he returns in ahead of next summer's European Championships in Germany.