Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards has hailed one "outstanding" Tottenham Hotspur player and says he would "love to see" him in an important role.
Spurs form and results
The international break couldn't have come at a worse time for Spurs and manager Ange Postecoglou, as the Lilywhites were flying with six wins from their first eight Premier League matches. Remaining unbeaten over their best start to a season since 1960/1961, the north Londoners' appointment of Postecoglou from Celtic has, so far, proved one of their most popular manager hires in recent years.
They've been absolutely transformed by the Australian, with former Arsenal star and England international Ian Wright recently saying Postecoglou has completely taken him by surprise.
“It’s underrated,” said Wright to Premier League productions on October 2. “It’s an underrated effort he is doing, at the minute. Major Ange Postecoglou fans. I remember people saying at the start that ‘he needs to start well’. With the players he has got, you want them to do well and win some games and stuff. But I didn’t expect it to be in the grove it is now and so quickly.
“Not just physically, but mentally as well. They know what they are doing – we are looking at a team that we know that will improve simply because Bentancur is to come back.”
Members of the Spurs squad are also enjoying their best run of form for a long time under Postecoglou, with the likes of Yves Bissouma, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski finding a new lease of life. Indeed, summer signings like James Maddison and Micky van de Ven have gone on to flourish as well.
Tottenham – James Maddison news
Former midfielder Jermaine Jenas, speaking to TNT Sports recently, told the broadcaster that the "top-class talent" Maddison is "on the verge" of being world class.
"He’s transformed a team on his own,” Jenas said. “That’s the biggest fear for Spurs, his fitness and maintaining that all year. If you take him out of that team it’s totally different. He’s a top-class talent on the verge of being a world-class talent as soon as he gets on that stage.”
Now, speaking ahead of England's match against Italy, Sky's Micah Richards has told The Rest is Football podcast that he wants to see Maddison in his traditional Spurs number 10 role for the Three Lions – calling the former Leicester City star "outstanding".
Draws fouls
Likes to dribble
Cuts inside
Take shots from distance
Unselfish
“I’d love to see Maddison again,” Richards said. “I think he’s outstanding in that number 10 role. I don’t think he had his best game the other day. They could play him off the left though [if Bellingham starts at 10].”
The 26-year-old has netted two goals and assisted five others in just eight league starts this season, emphasising how he's proven to be one of the bargains of the summer window so far. Maddison cost just £40 million from Leicester, and if he carries on like this, that fee is going to look pretty laughable.