James Maddison Returns to Tottenham's Starting Line-Up

James Maddison finally pulled a Spurs shirt back on this weekend, and for Tottenham, that felt as significant as the scoreline.

The playmaker had not kicked a ball all summer, still troubled by an unspecified issue that followed the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in pre-season last year – a blow that wiped out most of his campaign. With only a week left before Roberto De Zerbi’s side open their Premier League season away at Brentford, there had been a genuine fear he would be starting another year watching from the stands.

Instead, his name appeared in the starting XI on Sunday for a behind-closed-doors friendly against Hoffenheim at Hotspur Way, less than 24 hours after Spurs had beaten the same Bundesliga side 3-0 in front of their own fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

On Saturday it was about Mikey Moore’s brace and a Richarlison strike. On Sunday, it was about who was on the pitch rather than the occasion.

Maddison back, Fernandes goes the distance

De Zerbi rolled out an entirely different starting line-up for the second meeting, with Maddison handed his first start in almost 12 months. He lasted 45 minutes, a carefully managed step rather than a full-blooded return.

His performance reflected that rust. Early on, he lost the ball inside his own box and then fouled Leon Avdullahu. Adam Hlozek took full advantage from the penalty spot to put Hoffenheim ahead. Not ideal, but for Tottenham the more important detail was simple: Maddison was moving freely and back in the thick of it.

At the break he made way for youngster Reiss Elliot-Parris, his first outing of the season safely banked.

More encouraging still for Spurs was the sight of Mateus Fernandes completing the full 90 minutes. The £85million summer signing from West Ham, who had been hampered by a calf issue on the club’s pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia, looked ready for competitive action.

The Portugal international again underlined why Tottenham pushed so hard to get him. His delivery from the right was razor sharp, and it was his pinpoint cross that brought the first Spurs goal: a clever short-corner routine worked the opening, and Ben Davies arrived to nod home from close range in the 20th minute.

Youth and returns all over the pitch

The pressure told again just before half-time. Pape Matar Sarr, another returning face, drove through midfield and fed highly rated winger Luca Williams-Barnett. The teenager stepped up with a composed, clinical finish past Luca Philipp to flip the game on its head and give Spurs a 2-1 lead at the interval.

Sarr’s involvement, along with minutes for Rodrigo Bentancur, added to the sense that Tottenham’s midfield options are finally starting to thicken out after a disrupted summer.

Hoffenheim refused to fade. After the restart, Valentin Gendrey met a cross with a firm volley that beat Brandon Austin to level the match. Kevin Danso then rattled the crossbar as the visitors went hunting for a winner of their own.

Spurs still carved out chances. Teenage winger Miracle Adewole went close late on, almost snatching a decisive goal as De Zerbi’s side pressed in the closing stages. The winner never came, but the exercise was always about fitness and rhythm rather than bragging rights.

Big names missing as Brentford looms

For all the positives – Maddison’s return, Fernandes’ 90 minutes, the sharpness of Williams-Barnett, Sarr and Bentancur – the absentees cast a long shadow.

Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and Mohammed Kudus did not feature at all in pre-season. With Brentford away fast approaching, that is no minor detail. Dejan Kulusevski is only just working his way back on the training pitch after a knee injury that has kept him out since May 2025.

Up front, Dominic Solanke sat out again on Sunday. In goal, Guglielmo Vicario was also missing and is expected to leave the club before the summer transfer deadline on September 1, a potential upheaval in a key position just as the campaign begins.

Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons remain long-term absentees, still sidelined and unavailable to De Zerbi. Pedro Porro did not play a minute of pre-season either, granted extra time off following Spain’s World Cup triumph, though he has now reported back to the club.

So Tottenham leave their final warm-up with some crucial boxes ticked and others still stubbornly blank. Maddison is back. Fernandes looks ready. The kids are pushing. But with so many pillars of the starting XI yet to kick a ball, how bold can De Zerbi really be when the season starts for real at Brentford?