England's James Maddison says he is ''desperate'' to get in on the action at the World Cup after being left on the bench for all four games so far. Leicester midfielder Maddison has not played a single minute of action in Qatar yet, and while he is happy to be part of the Three Lions squad as he gains invaluable career experience, he wants to be given a chance to shine on the big stage. ''Involvement doesn’t always mean minutes on the pitch and that’s something that I’ve probably learned in the last few weeks of being out here,'' he told talkSPORT. ''Of course, every player wants to play and I’m no different, I’m desperate to get out there and show what I can do but it’s one of them. It’s my first major tournament at the senior level and it’s brilliant to be a part of. It’s such a learning curve and you gain so much experience daily without even realizing how it works and what it takes to be successful."
Maddison has made just one senior appearance for England - against Montenegro in November 2019. The 26-year-old was battling a knee injury at the start of the tournament but he says he is fit and raring to go now. Maddison 'desperate' to get World Cup chance as England midfielder makes honest admission over bench role
He added: "I’m feeling good. The injury is gone, I’m feeling 100 per cent. I’ve been training for a while now and have been available for the last couple of games and so it’s just about being patient, staying ready, which I am, working hard and trying to be an option for the manager.''
Monday Night Football after Leicester’s first win of the season, Maddison said: “It’s been a bit of a weird position for me, to be honest, because we’ve been bottom of the league and results have not been going our way but I’ve almost been as confident as I’ve ever been in my career.
“I don’t remember playing better than I have or feeling as well as I have.
“But (making the England squad) is an ambition of mine, a goal of mine.
“I’m a football man, I watch all the games, I watch international football and an opportunity at that level would be something that I desire and I almost know that I’d have an impact.
“I’ll keep working hard and I’ve got to have the mindset that I’ve got to force my way in.
“The players at the big clubs who are in at the minute, they’re good players, they’re top players, and I’m not naive to that, but I think there could be a space for me.
“So I’ll keep working hard and keep producing performances like that tonight for Leicester, for the gaffer here and see where it leaves me.”
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