James Maddison eyes late-season return as Tottenham star steps up recovery

The Tottenham midfielder, 28, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during pre-season against Newcastle, a blow Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank described at the time as a "brutal moment".

The setback came after a difficult previous campaign in which Maddison endured knee problems that ruled him out of the Europa League final.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Maddison shared an update on his rehabilitation and admitted he is determined not to rush his comeback.

"I've already looked at the average recovery time," he said. "If it's eight months, six months isn't a question. The stage I'm at now, this needs to be right. I'm 28 and will be 29 when I return, these are my peak years.

"I need to come back properly and stay fit. So I'm not going to be pushing to come back too soon."

The England international added that while his surgeon had suggested six months as the best-case scenario, a realistic timeframe of eight months could still see him feature late in the campaign. "If it gets to eight months and we're flying, if I'm in the right frame, that will allow me to play this season, won't it?" he said.

Despite being sidelined, Maddison remains an influential figure at the club and has been included in Tottenham's new leadership group. Head coach Thomas Frank, who has taken charge at Spurs this season, confirmed that Maddison will serve alongside Ben Davies, Guglielmo Vicario and Micky van de Ven in supporting captain Cristian Romero.

"He is a very positive person and lively is not the word, but he's an extrovert," Frank said. "He's smiling, interacting with everyone and that's a big plus. He gets around to everyone and shows an interest in leadership, so it was quite natural to include him."

Tottenham are currently preparing for a demanding run of fixtures without their creative playmaker, but Maddison's steady progress offers hope he could make a return before the campaign concludes.