James Maddison has said questions over his personality and professionalism when it comes to a potential England call-up are 'insulting'. The one-cap international was man-of-the-match as Leicester City earned their first Premier League win of the season with a comprehensive derby victory over Nottingham Forest.
Maddison netted twice and registered an assist in the 4-0 win over the newly-promoted side at the King Power Stadium on Monday night. The 25-year-old has made a fine start to the season despite the Foxes' struggles, but looks set to miss out on the Three Lions' World Cup squad after not being called up for the recent Nations League fixtures.
Newcastle failed with two summer bids for Maddison, with recent reports suggesting the Magpies will return with an approach in January. The playmaker has less than two years' left on his contract, and Leicester's poor start to the season could encourage interested parties to test the waters with a mid-season bid.
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Eddie Howe has emphasised the importance of character with each signing during the Magpies' cumulative transfer spend in excess of £200 million. Financial Fair Play means United can not afford to make costly mistakes, and Maddison did not raise any red flags after extensive background checks prior to the summer bids.
Monday Night Football pundit Gary Neville raised the 'suggestions' of the attacking midfielder not being a 'good traveller' or a positive squad influence after missing out on the latest England squad. Maddison told Sky Sports: "I've never seen anything like that. That's also questioning my personality and my professionalism which is obviously quite insulting."
The question over Maddison's temperament was met with a similarly strong response from Brendan Rodgers. The Leicester boss is adamant the Foxes star should at least be in the Three Lions squad, and described how the playmaker had grown as a person during his time at the club.
Rodgers said: "He's 25 years of age, when I first came into here he was a young guy and you saw his haircuts and his bags and all that sort of stuff. But he's matured, and he's a great lad.
"I have to say to work with him everyday, it's an absolute joy to watch. He's now become a father, he's matured in his game and he's quite focused. Of course he wants to play, every player wants to play, but this is a guy that'll be so supportive.
"To have him there if you're in trouble in a game, you know he can beat a man, make a pass, you've seen his free-kick tonight. He just has so many qualities, I feel he's deserving of at least being in the squad."
England head into the World Cup next month on the back of a poor Nations League campaign, with Southgate's side struggling in the final third. The Three Lions boast an array of attacking options, and Maddison feels he should be considered a 'top player' alongside the likes of Jack Grealish and Phil Foden.
Maddison added: "I know there's top, top players in the forward areas. But I have the self-belief and confidence that I'm a top player and I can be in that category.
"On the role and the position, I think any of those forward areas. You see the likes of Phil and Jack who can play in the central areas and also a bit wider. It's hard to comment because I was on the right today, but England play slightly differently with the back three and I haven't been in the setup for a couple of years.
"It would be about listening to the coaches, and it's hard to talk about because it's not the position I'm in right now. Like I said, I'll keep working hard and I've got to have the mindset of I've got to force my way in because those players in big clubs are in at the minute.
"They're top players, I'm not naive to that. But I think there could be a space for me, so I'll keep working hard and producing performances like that tonight for Leicester and for the gaffer here and see where that leads."
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