James Maddison praised for 'honesty' after breaking silence following England snub

James Maddison has spoken out on social media about his omission from the England squad, saying "devastated doesn't quite cut it".

The 28-year-old attacking midfielder was the first player announced to miss out on selection from England's Euros squad.

He made the provisional 33-man squad, coming on as a substitute in the 3-0 win against Bosnia & Herzegovina at St James' Park on June 3, but has not made the final 26 who will be flying to Germany.

It seemed the Tottenham Hotspur player was "fuming" at not being selected, deleting mentions of England from his Instagram bio.

But he has since posted an update on X / Twitter saying how gutted he is but how he respects manager Gareth Southgate's decision and that the second half of his Premier League season "probably wasn't at the levels I had set".

Maddison posted: "Devastated doesn't quite cut it.

"Trained well and worked hard all week but if I'm honest with myself, my form for Spurs when coming back from injury in the second half of the season probably wasn't at the levels I had set which gave Gareth a decision to make.

"I still thought there would be a space for me in a 26 man squad as I feel I bring something different and had been a mainstay in this whole qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Germany but the manager has made the decision and I have to respect that.

"I'll be back, I have no doubt. Wishing the boys all the luck in the world out in Germany, unbelievable group and lads that I literally call some of my best friends. I genuinely hope football comes home."

Maddison started the season strongly with three goals and five assists in his first nine Premier League games for Tottenham Hotspur.

An injury that kept him out for three months hampered his progress though and, as Maddison eluded to in his Tweet, he has only been involved in two goals between March 10 and now - they were against Burnley and Sheffield United.

Maddison has never made an appearance for England at a major tournament - he made the 2022 World Cup squad but never featured.

Social media users, including England's official account, have praised Maddison for his honesty.

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