James Maddison has had a standout debut season at Tottenham Hotspur, earning him call-ups to the England squad due to his stellar performances.
Despite recently recovering from an ankle injury and swiftly returning to form, Maddison received only 15 minutes of playing time in England's two recent friendlies.
In Saturday's match against Brazil, Maddison remained on the bench throughout the game, and in the clash against Belgium, he was given just over a quarter of an hour to showcase his skills.
However, the 27-year-old seized the moment with a brilliant display of talent during the dying moments of the match.
With England on the brink of a second consecutive home defeat, Maddison's pivotal intervention turned the tide. Winning the ball in the Belgium penalty area, he delivered a superb pass of his boot to set up Jude Bellingham to equalise.
The Spurs star's contribution did not go unnoticed by his manager, who praised him after the match.
"I thought James Maddison when he came on had a very good impact," Southgate told beIN Sports.
"Jarrod Bowen had an excellent game. So there were a lot of very, very good performances."
It seems that Southgate is hesitant to play Maddison because he prefers to have two defensive midfielders on the field.
With Bellingham set as the team's primary attacking midfielder, the only available position is next to Rice, which is a deeper role that Maddison hasn't often played at club level.
However, Kobbie Mainoo's strong performances in both matches might provide Southgate with the answer. It seems like it could be difficult for Maddison to push himself into the starting XI for Euro 2024.
