James Maddison injury update: Tottenham await assessment after midfielder goes off in Chelsea victory

Tottenham are awaiting the extent of James Maddison’s injury after the midfielder was forced off during their 2-0 victory at Chelsea.

Conor Gallagher replaced Maddison early in the second half at Stamford Bridge. Roberto De Zerbi said medical examinations would establish the extent of the problem, according to talkSPORT’s post-match report.

No recovery timetable was confirmed in that update.

Groin problem reported, with severity still unclear

Sky Sports reported during the match that Maddison had a groin problem, as relayed in the Guardian’s live coverage.

That report should not be treated as a confirmed diagnosis or evidence of how long he might be unavailable. There is also no basis in the available update to describe the incident as a recurrence of his previous knee injury.

Maddison later returned to Tottenham’s bench, but his presence there does not establish his fitness for the next match.

Maddison had missed training before the derby

His availability had already been uncertain before kick-off.

De Zerbi said on Friday that Maddison had not trained with the group during the first three days after Tottenham’s victory over Coventry. The manager also stressed his reluctance to take risks, as reported by Reuters.

Maddison was nevertheless selected to start against Chelsea. His subsequent withdrawal does not, by itself, establish whether the problem was connected to those earlier fitness concerns.

The setback came five days after he scored on his return to the starting side in Tottenham’s 3-1 win over Coventry.

What Tottenham need to establish next

The immediate questions are the nature of the injury, whether Maddison can resume training and whether he will be available for Tottenham’s next fixture.

Until the assessment is communicated, a return date would be speculative. Gallagher provided the immediate replacement at Stamford Bridge, but De Zerbi has not confirmed how he would adjust his next starting XI if Maddison is unavailable.

Our Tottenham coverage will carry further team news as it is confirmed.