Maddison turning his Euros disappointment into motivation for the season ahead

The attacking midfielder missed out on a spot in England’s Euro 2024 squad, forcing Maddison to watch from home as his team fell short in the final against Spain.

The 27-year-old is not dwelling on that miss and hopes that he can shine enough to be a mainstay by the time the 2026 World Cup comes around. 

He stated to Evening Standard: “Of course. Setbacks are set-ups for comebacks, I’ve seen that quote somewhere! It’s how you deal with adversity. My network around me, my parents, partner, agent, the manager, they wouldn’t let me dwell on that. I knew I would come back with a hunger. 

“I knew I’d be ready by game one to have a good season. 

“And I want to show the gaffer, the fans, my team-mates that I can be back consistently to my best. I could not quite find that post-injury (last ­season), but it’s always about how you respond. 

“I was devastated to miss out on the Euros, but my network, and my dad especially, would never let that define me. I’m hungry to do well this season. 

“My dad just would never let me be upset — and he was upset for me, like any parent would be. He was hungry for the season, (for me to) use it as motivation to remind me that I can be at that level. 

“I trained really well. I trained well with England as well, we had the warm-up game against North ­Macedonia and I felt I played well in that, so it was disappointing to miss out. I had a good chat with Gareth about it. All of that is motivation now, because it’s gone. 

“And it’s about using (that disappointment) as fuel to be good this season, and I’m desperate to be a top player for the whole season, stay fit and show everyone the best version of myself. 

“I never doubt myself. I had no doubt that in the first game I was going to be ready to go and put in a good ­performance. I felt like I did that.”