James Maddison injury strikes fear into Tottenham with club concerned about 'lengthy' absence

Maddison has been a vital player for Tottenham since arriving from Leicester back in the summer.

However, there are now fears within Spurs that they'll have to cope without their star man for the foreseeable future.

​Maddison was forced off the field as Tottenham lost 4-1 to Chelsea in Monday's ferocious London derby.

And though he initially reported for international duty, Tottenham fear the playmaker is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Maddison has been undergoing 'a range of examinations over the past few days to determine the extent of the damage to his ankle.

Tottenham are due to face Wolves on Saturday.

And manager Ange Postecoglou is set to talk about Maddison and his injury at a pre-match press conference on Friday.

Tottenham released a statement confirming Maddison had withdrawn from the England squad earlier in the day.

"We can confirm that James Maddison has been withdrawn from the England squad due to an ankle injury," they said.

"The midfielder will not feature in the Three Lions’ UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, and will remain at Hotspur Way for rehabilitation with the club’s medical staff."

And England boss Gareth Southgate had said on Thursday that Maddison was 'positive' about his injury.

"He seems positive. There’s clearly an element of doubt," he stated.

"But I think at the time of the decision (of his first half substitution versus Chelsea), they had just gone to 10, maybe the manager was thinking, ‘I’ve got a player who might have a knock and we’ve only got 10 players anyway.'"

Tottenham have been struck with an injury crisis prior to their match with Wolves.

Richarlison is already sidelined, with the Brazil international recently undergoing pelvic surgery.

And the club are sweating on the fitness of Micky van der Ven, too.

Van der Ven has impressed in north London since being signed by Spurs back in the summer transfer window.

But he's now set to miss the next few months with a hamstring problem.

Meanwhile, Postecoglou revealed on Monday that he substituted Maddison as a precaution during his side's defeat to Chelsea.

"He [Maddison] got a knock on the ankle," said the Australian.

"We were down one man already.

"It made sense to make a couple of changes at that point."

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Tottenham have won eight of their 11 Premier League matches so far this season.

They trail Manchester City by just one point at the summit, with Pep Guardiola's side preparing to face Chelsea on Sunday.