Former England manager Glenn Hoddle prefers Tottenham’s James Maddison over Mason Mount with the Manchester United midfielder facing a race against time to secure a spot in England’s Euro 2024 squad.
As social media conspiracists continue to debate the whereabouts of Kate Middleton, at least there were some answers today for the Manchester United supporters threatening to file their very own ‘missing person’s’ reports.
Mason Mount, after months on the sidelines with a seemingly never-ending calf injury, is finally back in training.
But having missed almost the entirety of his debut season at Old Trafford, the damage may have already been done regarding Mount’s European Championship hopes.
Mason Mount nears Manchester United return
England boss Gareth Southgate expressed his admiration for Mount back in October but also shared concerns over the former Chelsea star’s fitness. Five months on, the fine form of James Maddison and Phil Foden means that – even if Mount succeeds in making up for lost time between now and the end of May – a place in The Three Lions roster may be out of reach.
“I said about Maddison three years ago,” Hoddle tells the Football’s Greatest podcast. “I wish he’d have gone to Tottenham then and played with Harry Kane, to be honest.
“But for me, I’d have had him in there (the England squad) a lot earlier. Ahead of Mount. He’s a better player than a lot of the players who have been given more chances.”
There was a time, around the delayed Euro 2020, where Maddison’s omission – and Mount’s subsequent inclusion – was a source of so much debate amongst England fans.
Three years on, the former has gone from strength to strength. The latter, meanwhile, made that £55 million move to Man United after a dramatic loss of form at Stamford Bridge.
Hoddle, however, still has reservations about whether Southgate will put his faith in Maddison in a make-or-break clash, with the Tottenham playmaker lacking Mount’s defensive resilience and off-the-ball tenacity.
Maddison is a ‘real number 10’
“(Maddison) is a real (number) 10 that can open teams up,” Hoddle adds. “He’s got the ability to score goals, he’s got the ability to create goals. He understands the game, he’s going into his peak, so defensively he knows what the team needs from him.
“At the moment, I think he’s ripe and he’s got that little bit of difference. That ability to change a game. What he hasn’t got in an England shirt yet, I don’t think he’s got quite the approval (from Southgate).”
Maddison, when fit, has started four of England’s last seven games. Mount however – largely due to injuries – has not been seen under Southgate since the Qatar World Cup and his chances for Euro 2024 look impossible.
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