James Maddison’s goalscoring return to Tottenham action was a dream come true after the “dark days” of recovery, the midfielder has revealed.
After a nightmare year-and-a-half in recovery from an ACL rupture, Maddison finally returned to a Tottenham starting lineup on Monday night as Coventry visited N17.
He made sure to savour his celebration in front of the adoring Tottenham faithful, and later admitted he could not have foreseen a better comeback in his wildest dreams.
"They're just a bit blurry,” he said, asked by Sky Sports what he remembered of his goal. “They're the ones you dream of.
James Maddison wasted no time getting his name back on the scoresheet
Getty
“Recovering from the ACL last year, those dark days, they're the ones you dream of, those goals. Always the light at the tunnel for you.”
He was not the only returnee on the day, with Dejan Kulusevski also making a long-awaited comeback from a devastating knee injury. Maddison added he was pleased they could share in one another’s moments.
He continued: “And for Dejan Kulusevski, I felt proud for him because I knew exactly how he felt. Those moments and those goals they make it all worth it.”
Tottenham have endured a frustrating start to the campaign, where promising performances have not necessarily been reflected in results.
Back in the game: Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison
PA
The side were much improved for Maddison’s influence, though, and the one-time England star admitted he was thrilled to see his name back on the team sheet.
“Yeah I hoped [to start]. I spoke to the gaffer about this week and feeling like the right moment for me to go back into the starting 11 after a stop-start start to the season.
“I just wanted to show my quality and show what the team's missed in the last 18 months since my last start.
“The gaffer asked me to play and said he wanted to enjoy watching me from the side so hopefully I did that. And getting the goal is always nice.”