James Maddison described his goalscoring return to Tottenham's starting lineup as a dream come true after the "dark days" of recovering from an ACL rupture. The midfielder scored less than 15 minutes into Monday night's match against Coventry at N17, helping Tottenham secure their first league win of the campaign.
Maddison curled a fine effort from the edge of the box and savoured the celebration in front of the home fans. Speaking to Sky Sports, he admitted he could not have imagined a better comeback.
A Goal to Dream Of
"They're just a bit blurry," Maddison said of the goal. "They're the ones you dream of. Recovering from the ACL last year, those dark days, they're the ones you dream of, those goals. Always the light at the tunnel for you."
The midfielder was not the only returnee on the day. Dejan Kulusevski also made a long-awaited comeback from a knee injury, and Maddison expressed pride in sharing the moment with his teammate.
Sharing the Moment with Kulusevski
"And for Dejan Kulusevski, I felt proud for him because I knew exactly how he felt. Those moments and those goals they make it all worth it," Maddison added.
Tottenham had endured a frustrating start to the season, with promising performances not reflected in results. Maddison's influence improved the side, and he admitted he was thrilled to be back in the starting eleven.
Back in the Starting Lineup
"Yeah I hoped [to start]. I spoke to the gaffer about this week and feeling like the right moment for me to go back into the starting 11 after a stop-start start to the season. I just wanted to show my quality and show what the team's missed in the last 18 months since my last start," he said.
"The gaffer asked me to play and said he wanted to enjoy watching me from the side so hopefully I did that. And getting the goal is always nice."
