Roy Keane believes that Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison has become somewhat overrated as he prepares to return from injury.
Tottenham may be a little disappointed to have only taken a point at Manchester United on Sunday.
Spurs twice battled back from a goal down to claim a 2-2 draw but they dominated possession and couldn’t find the winning goal.
Tottenham were without a host of players as James Maddison, Giovani Lo Celso, Ivan Perisic, Manor Solomon, Alejo Veliz, Ben Davies and Ryan Sessegnon were all out with injuries.
Add in Dejan Kulusevski‘s illness and the absences of Son Heung-min, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr due to international commitments and Tottenham were down to the bare bones.
Spurs still turned in a strong performance but didn’t quite have that big moment – and may have missed star playmaker Maddison.
Roy Keane suggests James Maddison has become overrated
Maddison was such a force for Tottenham in the final third, making a huge impact after his £40million summer move from Leicester City.
The 27-year-old bagged three goals and five assists in his first 11 Premier League games for Tottenham but suffered an injury against Chelsea in November.
Maddison hasn’t been seen in action since and Tottenham are hoping to have him back either later this month or in February.
That would be an enormous boost for Tottenham but pundit Roy Keane doesn’t seem quite as excited as everybody else.
Speaking on Stick To Football, Keane suggested that Maddison was just ‘doing okay’ at the start of the season.
Keane feels that Maddison is a ‘good player’ but is also ‘not as good as everyone’s making out’, believing his return from injury isn’t anywhere close to Kevin De Bruyne’s return for Manchester City.
He was doing okay at the start,” said Keane. “I think he’s a good player, but not as good as everyone’s making out. I like Maddison, he’s a good player, but I don’t think it’s like a De Bruyne coming back for them,” he added.
Yes, Maddison isn’t quite at De Bruyne’s level, but few are.
Maddison provides creativity that brings a different dimension to the Tottenham squad and is a key part of the project under Ange Postecoglou.
Make no mistake, Maddison’s return will add something which has been missed ever since his injury and Postecoglou likely can’t wait for his return.
Keane seemingly isn’t putting Maddison in the elite category of Premier League players but Tottenham fans will be looking at his impending return and believing that he can make a huge difference between now and the end of the season.
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