Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison has seen huge acclaim for his performance in the Lilywhites' 3-1 win over Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon - with former star Danny Murphy labelling the 27-year-old as the 'best player on the pitch' as Tottenham downed the Bees to move into the top half of the top-flight.
Maddison grabbed his first goal of the season, though Tottenham had to come back from a goal down inside a minute when Bryan Mbeumo brilliantly steered home. But with goals from new man Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson, Tottenham toiled away and Maddison wrapped the win up five minutes from time with a deft chip over Mark Flekken - leading to Murphy waxing lyrical about the playmaker for his excellence in a deeper role, despite having played in a more advanced position in his days at Leicester City.
Murphy: Maddison Tottenham's 'Best Player' vs Brentford
The star has been in top form all season but hasn't been recognised
Speaking on Match of the Day, Murphy stated that Maddison was the 'best player on the pitch' in Tottenham's win on Saturday - and that despite their poor results so far this season, it's not the midfielder who is to blame as he looks back to his best in central midfield. Murphy said:
"I picked him out because he was the best player on the pitch. There's been some sections of media or people that have questioned his start to the season, and I think that's because Tottenham have started poorly.
"He's actually started this season very similar to the beginning of last. He was the best player on the opening day at Leicester City, against Everton he was superb when they won 4-0, Newcastle he helped them dominate the game for long periods and probably should have won.
"Today, in this deeper role that Ange Postecoglou's put him in as a central midfielder with Kulusevski ahead of him, he was absolutely outstanding."
Maddison Will be Looking to Earn England Spot
The midfielder heartbreakingly missed out on the Euros this summer
Maddison started last season in superb form, nabbing five goals and three assists in just ten-and-a-half games for Spurs before an ankle injury suffered against Chelsea put him on the sidelines for almost three months.
He struggled to pick that form up again after his injury, scoring just one goal and registering four assists in 17 games as Tottenham missed out on a Champions League spot with four consecutive losses through April and May - and that meant Maddison wasn't included for the England squad at EURO 2024, much to his disheartenment.
A decent start to life at Tottenham in a deeper role means that the Coventry-born star has been reborn again, captivated by his two assists and one goal so far this season - and with the Europa League set to start soon for Tottenham, Maddison could go on to produce some superb numbers throughout the campaign.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: James Maddison has 48 goals and 43 assists in 196 Premier League games.
With only seven England caps to his name, Maddison will want to build on that going forward and if he can play well in the deeper roles under Ange Postecoglou - where he'll eventually have competition with the likes of Angel Gomes and Kobbie Mainoo in terms of an England call-up instead of world-class stars such as Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, we could see the former Leicester star feature in a Three Lions shirt more often.