James Maddison's back in the frame! Tottenham star reveals talks with Thomas Tuchel over potential England recall amid resurgent form

The attacking midfielder was left out of interim England boss Lee Carsley's Three Lions squads in late 2024 - as well as missing out on Euro 2024 - but the 28-year-old has stated Tuchel has "touched base" with him ahead of naming his first national squad next month.

Asked if he had spoken to Tuchel, Maddison told The Standard: "Yeah, he has touched base. I think he was reaching out to a lot of players who would be under selection, probably quite a big pool of players that the FA have identified. I'm hungry to be part of that, I feel like I'm in good form, my numbers are pretty good. There's not too many midfielders who can outscore and out-assist me, especially now when I'm feeling good as well, feeling sharp, I know I can affect most games. It's just about continuing to do that and like I always say, if I play at that level for Tottenham, then the rest will take care of itself because I have a really strong self-belief."

Indeed, Maddison has 10 goals and seven assists to his name for Spurs this season - with Chelsea's Cole Palmer being the only English midfielder to have outscored him this term. At this rate, he may be a shoo-in for Tuchel's first England squad.

Tuchel is expected to name his first England squad in early March for the Three Lions' World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia later that month. Maddison will hope to add to his caps for his country for those fixtures.