Rio Ferdinand has slammed England manager Gareth Southgate for failing to utilising James Maddison properly.
He criticised the manager’s decision to continue playing Jordan Henderson in the midfield alongside Declan RIce and Jude Bellingham when he could put Maddison alongside the duo.
Instead, he is playing the Tottenham star on the left-wing which is not his natural position. S
Speaking on Vibe with Five, he said.
“Even the selection of the team. With Jordan Henderson, what more are you going to learn out of Jordan Henderson?
“You have Bellingham, a player who plays beyond his years. Declan Rice. Experienced, won in Europe and now at Arsenal as a £100 million player. What more experience do you want in there?
“There is Maddison. He has gone to a new club at Spurs. On fire. That position alongside those guys is a perfect chance to see him play.
“Maddison is playing left-wing! Release a man like Maddison to be the number ten and give us that extra attacking flair to unlock when we are playing the bigger teams and give us that extra body to play in deeper areas to give us ball retention (against the so-called lesser sides).”
TBH Says:
Rio Ferdinand is absolutely spot on. How can you play a player like Maddison who is one of the best number 10s in the Premier League out of position.
Maddison has been a consistent performer over the years at Leicester and has had a brilliant start to his Spurs career as well, contributing to 2 goals and 2 assists in 4 games.
Jordan Henderson no longer has a place in that midfield. Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and James Maddison would be a brilliant midfield trio who would complement each other perfectly.
