James Maddison Returns to Spurs: Key Highlights from Friendly
James Maddison finally pulled a Spurs shirt back on this weekend, ending months of anxiety over his fitness with a low-key but significant return at Hotspur Way.
The playmaker had not featured at all over the summer, still troubled by an unspecified issue that followed the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in pre-season last year – a setback that wiped out most of his campaign. With just a week left before Roberto De Zerbi’s side kick off their Premier League season away at Brentford, there had been real concern he would miss the start again.
Instead, his name appeared in the starting XI for a behind-closed-doors friendly against Hoffenheim on Sunday, Spurs’ second meeting with the Bundesliga club in less than 24 hours.
Maddison back, but still rusty
Saturday’s 3-0 win over Hoffenheim at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – watched by supporters and lit up by a Mikey Moore brace and a Richarlison goal – felt like a typical pre-season procession.
Sunday was different. No crowd, a completely changed XI, and all eyes on Maddison.
He lasted 45 minutes in his first start for nearly a year. It was a mixed outing. Early on, he lost the ball inside his own box and then fouled Leon Avdullahu, handing Adam Hlozek the chance to put Hoffenheim ahead from the penalty spot. Maddison was withdrawn at half-time, replaced by youngster Reiss Elliot-Parris, but the simple fact he came through the half will ease nerves around the club.
Fernandes shows his class
If Maddison’s return was the headline, Mateus Fernandes quietly delivered the performance of the day.
Tottenham’s £85million summer signing from West Ham completed the full 90 minutes, an important step after a calf problem on the club’s pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia. He looked ready.
The Portugal international dictated spells of the game and produced the moment that dragged Spurs level. From a short corner, Fernandes whipped in a precise cross that Ben Davies attacked at the near post, the veteran defender heading in from close range on 20 minutes.
That settled Tottenham. The tempo rose. The pressure told again just before the break.
Pape Matar Sarr, himself making a return to action, drove forward with purpose and released highly rated winger Luca Williams-Barnett. The teenager took his chance superbly, drilling past Luca Philipp to turn the game on its head before half-time.
Sarr was not the only midfielder back in the fold. Rodrigo Bentancur also featured on Sunday, another important building block in his recovery.
Hoffenheim hit back as Spurs chase a winner
Hoffenheim refused to fade. After the interval, Valentin Gendrey met a cross with a well-timed volley that beat Brandon Austin and levelled the match.
The visitors almost went ahead again when Kevin Danso crashed an effort off the crossbar, a reminder that this was no gentle training exercise. At the other end, teenage winger Miracle Adewole went close late on as Spurs pushed hard for a winner that never came.
The draw will matter little. The minutes will matter a lot.
Fitness boosts – and fresh worries
For Tottenham supporters, there was plenty to like: Maddison back on the pitch, Fernandes completing 90 minutes, and valuable time for Bentancur, Sarr, Williams-Barnett and Souza.
The absentees tell another story.
Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and Mohammed Kudus did not play at all in pre-season, a glaring concern with Brentford looming. Dejan Kulusevski is only just returning to training after a knee injury that has kept him out since May 2025. Dominic Solanke was missing again on Sunday.
In goal, Guglielmo Vicario sat out and is expected to leave the club before the summer transfer deadline on September 1, adding another layer of uncertainty to De Zerbi’s planning.
Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons remain long-term absentees, while Pedro Porro did not feature in pre-season after being granted an extended break following Spain’s World Cup triumph. The right-back has now returned to the club, but not yet to match action.
Spurs have their playmaker back, a record signing looking sharp and several key midfielders stepping up their minutes. The question now is whether that will be enough to mask the holes elsewhere when the real stuff starts at Brentford.
