Brendan Rodgers gushes over James Maddison; makes big England prediction

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers feels James Maddison has done all he can to give England boss Gareth Southgate a nudge in the right direction.

Maddison, 25, scored his 18th goal of the season as the Foxes ended their campaign with a 4-1 victory over Southampton. The former Norwich City man opened the scoring on 49 minutes after a goalless first half. Jamie Vardy then bagged his customary goal before substitute Ayoze Perez notched in the 81st minute and deep into stoppage time.

James Ward-Prowse scored from the spot for Saints but it was no more than a consolation. The 4-1 triumph saw Leicester finish eighth in the standings.

Maddison has played a full part and upped his level after struggling last term. The midfielder has just one England cap to his name.

That came against Montenegro in 2019 and Rodgers gave the reasons why he may well get the nod for England’s Nations League squad.

“He can’t do any more (to return to England),” he said. “He will be delighted with the season he has had.

“He has been absolutely brilliant. He is hungry since that difficult start for him. He has power and quality, he scores today and creates one.

“He’s not tense, he’s free. He is fit and is playing the games. He is doing the running and doing the work.

“We have other players who need to do more as well and impact the game more but he himself has been absolutely brilliant.”

Maddison’s goal return has been steadily increasing during his time at King Power Stadium. But 2021-2022 has seen him take it to another level, with 12 in the league and four in the Europa League.

He has chipped in with 12 assists from 53 outings in all competitions. And Rodgers pulled no punches in his assessment of what the Coventry-born ace means to the side.

“He is