MADDISON’S MESSAGE RIPPLES THROUGH SPURS: James Maddison has finally spoken out with a powerful injury update — and what he revealed in that moment spoke volumes about his character. With doubts growing and pressure mounting, this wasn’t merely about his fitness. It was a statement of leadership, pride, and resilience when Spurs need it most. One update, raw emotion… and a reaction no one saw coming.

James Maddison is steadily working his way back to full fitness as he continues his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture suffered during a pre-season friendly.

The Tottenham midfielder has revealed that he is “feeling better each day” after spending time rehabilitating in the United Arab Emirates. The 29-year-old has not featured for Spurs since picking up the serious knee injury against Newcastle United last summer, an issue that required surgery and has kept him sidelined ever since.

While Maddison is still expected to be out for several more months, there are encouraging signs of progress. He has recently been training in Dubai, putting in intense sessions both on the pitch and in the gym as part of his rehabilitation programme.

Sharing updates from his trip on Instagram alongside a series of photos, Maddison wrote: “An enjoyable few weeks away. Working hard and spending time with family abroad has been a real mental refresh. Still plenty of work to do, but I’m feeling better each day and can’t wait to be back out there representing Spurs. The grind continues.”

The images showed Maddison in impressive physical shape, mixing recovery work with family time and sessions alongside a member of Tottenham’s backroom staff. He was also spotted wearing retro Spurs kits during training, including a light blue 2010/11 away shirt and a 2011/12 home replica bearing Rafael van der Vaart’s name.

After an excellent 2024/25 campaign in which he scored 12 goals and registered 11 assists in 45 appearances, Maddison had hoped to carry that momentum into the current season, with a World Cup on the horizon. However, having last played competitively in April, he is now unlikely to return until the latter stages of the season.

Reflecting on the setback, Maddison admitted the injury was mentally tough, especially with international ambitions affected. “Realising I’d be out for most, if not all, of the season was crushing and probably ended my World Cup dream,” he said. “That’s one of the harsh realities of football, and dealing with it mentally has led to some dark days.”

He added that his main focus now is a safe and complete recovery. “It’s such a long injury with so many ups and downs. I just want to come back fit, smiling, and ready for Tottenham whenever that time comes. The World Cup is likely ruled out, but I’ll take it on the chin and use it as motivation going forward.”