James Maddison Returns to Tottenham Starting XI After Injury

James Maddison finally pulled a Tottenham shirt back on this weekend, easing fears that he would start another season watching from the treatment room instead of dictating play from midfield.

The England international had not featured at all over the summer, still troubled by an unspecified issue that followed the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in pre-season last year – a blow that wiped out most of his campaign. With only a week left before Roberto De Zerbi’s side open their Premier League season away at Brentford, the concern around his absence had started to grow.

On Sunday, that anxiety lifted a little. Maddison was named in a completely changed Spurs XI for a behind-closed-doors friendly against Hoffenheim at Hotspur Way, less than 24 hours after a different Tottenham side had beaten the same Bundesliga club 3-0 in front of fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

This time there were no crowds, no music, no show. Just a training-ground game in Enfield and 45 important minutes for Maddison – his first start in almost a year.

It wasn’t a flawless comeback. Early on, he lost the ball inside his own box and then fouled Leon Avdullahu, gifting Hoffenheim a penalty that Adam Hlozek converted. Maddison showed flashes of sharpness but, with this his first significant outing in months, the rust was obvious. His day ended at the interval as youngster Reiss Elliot-Parris came on.

If Maddison’s return was the headline, Mateus Fernandes quietly delivered the full performance Spurs needed to see. The £85million summer signing from West Ham completed the full 90 minutes in midfield, another step forward after a calf problem picked up on the club’s pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia.

The Portuguese international again looked the part. His teasing, precise cross from a short corner routine in the 20th minute found Ben Davies, who headed in from close range to cancel out Hlozek’s opener. A veteran defender finishing off a marquee midfielder’s delivery: simple, effective, reassuring.

Spurs then flipped the game before half-time. Pape Matar Sarr, himself returning to action, surged through midfield with a driving run that split Hoffenheim open. The ball broke to highly rated winger Luca Williams-Barnett, who steadied himself and drilled his finish past Luca Philipp. It was the sort of composed strike that will only increase the noise around the youngster.

Hoffenheim hit back after the break. Valentin Gendrey caught Brandon Austin with a well-struck volley to level the score again, and the visitors almost snatched more. Kevin Danso rattled the crossbar, while teenage Spurs winger Miracle Adewole went close late on at the other end as Tottenham pushed for a winner that never came.

The 2-2 draw will matter little. The minutes will matter a lot.

De Zerbi and the Spurs hierarchy will be encouraged by the involvement of Maddison, Fernandes, Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur, Williams-Barnett and Souza. The flip side is harder to ignore: several key names have not played at all in pre-season.

Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and Mohammed Kudus have all missed the entire summer schedule, an obvious red flag with Brentford looming. The same applies to Dejan Kulusevski, who is only now working his way back in training after a knee injury that has kept him out since May 2025.

Up front, Dominic Solanke was absent again on Sunday, adding another question mark to De Zerbi’s attacking options. In goal, Guglielmo Vicario did not feature and is expected to leave the club before the summer transfer deadline on September 1, a significant change in a key position so close to the start of the season.

Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons remain long-term absentees, while Pedro Porro sat out pre-season entirely due to an extended holiday following Spain’s World Cup triumph, only returning to the club earlier this week.

Tottenham have their playmaker back on the pitch and their record signing up to speed. But with so many pillars of the starting XI yet to kick a ball, the real question is whether this squad will be ready to withstand the Premier League’s first punch when they walk out at Brentford.