James Maddison hits back at Roy Keane for creating ‘outside noise’
Ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Manchester United, Roy Keane questioned James Maddison’s consistency and, after scoring the winner, the Spurs midfielder had the perfect response.
James Maddison marks Tottenham return with a goal
In the buildup to the clash against Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur’s manager Ange Postecoglou revealed that a few of his injured players were set to return.
In the matchday starting XI, this was confirmed, as we saw five injured players make it into Ange Postecoglou’s squad.
James Maddison who has been out for three weeks after picking up an injury in the Lilywhites clash against Hoffenheim, was amongst the injured players to be handed a start.
James Maddison hits back at Roy Keane criticism
The former Leicester City midfielder marked his return with a goal against Manchester United, a side he had failed to score against in his career.
During his celebration, the Spurs midfielder was seen making “shush” hand gestures. This comes after Roy Keane openly criticised him for not ever stepping up to the plate.
Speaking on SkySports, James Maddison has now elaborated on his celebration. He said: “It’s always difficult being out injured. You miss one game or 10, you are always champing at the bit to get back. I went into the game today knowing I can be the difference.
“I’m really proud of the boys, obviously it has been an up and down season, we are not where we want to be in the league table. I’m really happy for the lads and for the fans, we’re sending them home happy.
“I’ve always been a goalscoring midfielder. That’s why Spurs brought me to the club. I’m there to be that creative outlet and score goals.
“There was a little bit of outside noise this week. People will have their opinions. Nobody is more critical of me than myself. The gaffer prefers when we are in our own bubble but it’s difficult with social media, you see this stuff.
“To be fair to the boys who have been fit all season, we don’t want to make excuses, but the last few months have been really difficult. The lads who have relentlessly been going every three days, it’s nice to be an injured player coming back to take the pressure off them. It’s about us being present now and leading like they did during the bad run.”
What did Roy Keane say about James Maddison exactly?
Before the game, Roy Keane criticised James Maddison, stating that the midfielder does not step up consistently. He said: “Which players [are we] talking about coming back that can help Spurs? I agree with [Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario] – that’s two.
“[Destiny] Udogie is not bad. We saw James Maddison at Tamworth, he was taken off! Tamworth are non-league. People say, “Maddison’s the man”, but when is he going to step up to the plate?
“He got relegated with Leicester [City] and [looks like] with Spurs. Maddison isn’t bad but if you think he’s going to come back and get Spurs top six, you’re in cuckoo land.
“He’s a talented player, but if you’re a player in the Spurs dressing room and he’s back in the squad, you wouldn’t be looking and going, ‘James is back today – we’re going to be fine!’.”
He continued: “I saw him, James Maddison, at [Manchester] City when they won that game 4-0 and I thought he blended the quality of his attacking with actually being good in his defensive duties.
“I actually said that he set a standard that night that he’s got to continue to keep. He’s not consistent – that’s the problem with him.”
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