Gareth Southgate and his entourage revealed their 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup with some obvious candidates being included and some rogue additions to the squad. That was always going to be the case.

The England manager wasn’t exactly spoilt for choice with some players injured and some not playing their brightest football as of late.

A midfielder with minimal international experience that received a call was James Maddison. With just one singular appearance to his name, he will be donning the England kit come the beginning of the World Cup. Back in November 2019, he replaced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 56th minute in a 7-0 romp against Montenegro.

Often the shining star in a dull Leicester side, the creative midfielder has enjoyed a rich vein of form in 2022, netting 13 times and assisting a total of nine times.

This insertion of Maddison and most notably his playmaking ability may show that Southgate is taking a different approach to the tournament looming around the corner. So, why the change?

Not just for Leicester but for Norwich, Aberdeen and Coventry, Maddison has always been a standout star and it always felt that he was being mistreated and shunted to the side as his club form was being overlooked.

England are blessed with their array of attacking talent and so Maddison’s minutes on the big stage may be on the lower side, but the call-up was rightfully earned and came to the delight of many fans backing the Three Lions. This will be the challenge come the 21st of November when he has Phil Foden, Mason Mount, Jack Grealish and now James Maddison at his disposal.

Some, however, have insisted that his inclusion was senseless. The man in charge has since dismissed any misconceptions and revealed that Maddison could force his way into a starting position for his country.

What sounded like a highlight of Southgate’s understandably difficult day would have been one of Maddison’s best of his 25 years on earth.