James Maddison has spoken out for the first time since being cut from England's Euro 2024 squad.
Tottenham attacker Maddison was included in Gareth Southgate's provisional 33-man squad and appeared in England's 3-0 friendly win against Bosnia & Herzegovina on Monday.
However, on Thursday the 27-year-old left the squad - as did Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones - after being told he will not be included in the final 26-man tournament squad.
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Southgate will announce his final squad on Saturday.
On Thursday Maddison published a statement on his Instagram profile.
"Devastated doesn’t quite cut it. Trained well and worked hard all week but if I’m honest with myself, my form for Spurs when coming back from injury in the second half of the season probably wasn’t at the levels I had set which gave Gareth a decision to make," Maddison wrote.
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"I still thought there would be a space for me in a 26 man squad as I feel I bring something different & had been a mainstay in this whole qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Germany but the manager has made the decision and I have to respect that.
"I’ll be back, I have no doubt. Wishing the boys all the luck in the world out in Germany, unbelievable group and lads that I literally call some of my best friends. I genuinely hope football comes home."
England teammates Jude Bellingham and Harry Maguire commented on Maddison's post, as did former England captain John Terry.
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Though Maddison only has seven England caps to his name, he was included in squad for six Euro 2024 qualifiers, missing the November 2023 international break due to an ankle injury.
The midfielder made his senior England debut in November 2019, but didn't earn a second cap until March 2023.
Maddison started the season in fine form following his £40 million from Leicester City to Tottenham, but in November he suffered an ankle injury that kept him out of action for two months.
He finished his first season in north London with four goals and nine assists in 28 Premier League games.
Topics: England, Euro 2024, James Maddison, Gareth Southgate, Tottenham Hotspur, Football
Alex Brotherton