£40m Tottenham player seemingly set to be dropped by his country tonight

It now seems as if Tottenham Hotspurs’ James Maddison will be dropped when England host Italy in a crucial qualifier tonight.

Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath has now been sharing some early team news on X – and there doesn’t appear to be space for Maddison.

McGrath confirmed that Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden will be supporting Harry Kane in attack.

Moreover, the journalist shared that Kalvin Phillips was set to play alongside Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham in midfield.

No space for Spurs man.

And that will be a blow given Maddison’s form at Tottenham this season, the play-maker has now looked destined for a key role for England.

However, it would appear that Gareth Southgate was strictly playing his second string against Australia on Friday.

Maddison played 73 minutes on that evening before being replaced by Phil Foden in the number 10 position.

And although it seems the Spurs man will miss out on a start tonight, he could still play a vital role from the bench.

Tottenham’s Maddison will have to make his impact from the bench for England

Maddison did state his excitement to play behind Kane when he joined Tottenham this summer.

And given that is no longer possible at club, the £40m midfielder will surely be itching to do so for England.

Of course, even if he doesn’t start tonight, Tottenham’s Maddison does now have a much improved role in the England squad.

It wasn’t so long ago that fans were calling for Maddison to be on the plane for Qatar – an inclusion that seemed unlikely at times.

Moreover, the midfielder is now an important part of the squad, and some of the praise for that has to be awarded to Ange Postecoglou.

Although Maddison has always been a brilliant talent, he now looks to have added responsibility and authority at Spurs.