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4. James Maddison
Another extremely talented Englishman is Leicester City attacking midfielder James Maddison, who has yet again impressed Premier League pundits and fans with his silky dribbling, beautiful assists and incredible goal-scoring ability. The 23-year-old has been the Foxes’ heartbeat in the centre of midfield, constantly trying to cause trouble when on the ball.
Maddison has scored 6 goals and provided 3 assists in the league this season and has been as important as their talismanic striker Jamie Vardy. Leicester looked in fine form up until December but have had a recent slump, though they still are in a great position to secure Champions League qualification for next season.
The former Norwich player has formed an excellent relationship with manager Brendan Rodgers who ruled out his rumoured move to Manchester United in the January transfer window.
“James is a very talented player, a wonderful player, and he will be here in January and beyond,” the Englishman said. Talks of a new contract are ongoing which could potentially see Maddison staying at the King Power Stadium for the foreseeable future.
“James and his representatives are speaking with the club, which is great. In the meantime, his level hasn't dropped, he's keeping his focus on the game, he's playing his football to a really high level. He's been brilliant,” Rodgers added.
Maddison has provided a league-highest 15 through balls this season, one more than Manchester City’s red-hot Kevin de Bruyne. He also is the 4th-highest cross provider (153) and the fifth-highest in terms of goal-scoring chances created (50) in the division. If he is able to lead the 2015/16 Premier League winners to a top-four spot at the end of the season, James Maddison will not only secure a starting spot in Gareth Southgate’s Euro Championship squad for the summer but should be considered as a serious contender for the Young Player of the Year award.
