James Maddison gives six-word response to Tottenham star's recent injury return after Europa League progress

Tottenham Hotspur made it into the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday night as they beat Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar 3-2 on aggregate. Ange Postecoglou’s side won 3-1 on the night, as they overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.

James Maddison scored either side of strikes from Wilson Odobert, with the latter player hailed as a “super talent” by Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou. Maddison also branded Odobert as “absolutely fantastic” on the night.

Another player who made a key impact was striker Dominic Solanke, as he provided both assists for Odobert’s goals. The former Liverpool and Bournemouth man joined Spurs back in the summer, signing a six-year deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He has scored 11 goals in 32 appearances since arriving in North London.

Solanke fit and firing again

Solanke only recently returned to the Spurs squad as he featured in the first leg against Alkmaar last week. That was his first appearance since a North London derby defeat to Arsenal back in mid-January.

He missed a total of 10 games before coming off the bench against AZ last week. He was then withdrawn late in that game with a knock but returned in time to start against Bournemouth and AZ.

Posting on Instagram, Solanke reacted to Thursday’s win with a collection of photos and the caption: “TEAM. Job done, onto the Quarters.”

Referencing the player’s recent period of absence, Maddison replied to the post: “It’s good to have you back”. That message was coupled with an emoji of hearts surrounding a face.

Solanke named in England squad

Solanke will not get the chance to rest over the international break after being named in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad. The Three Lions have friendlies with Albania and Latvia this month as they begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. Former Spurs striker Harry Kane will remain captain of the national side under Tuchel.

Addressing that decision, Tuchel said: “It's a pleasure to work with him. We have a proven goal scorer at the highest level. He has the most caps and he has the most goals so he sets the records and sets the standards when it comes to that.

“We have a lot of expectations because we know him already. It will be a lot of extra responsibility on his shoulders but Harry is someone who proves that he can handle it. We’re happy to have him in good shape. It’s a clear choice.”

He added: “I’m very excited now for training finally after so many months already in the job – it’s time to be back on the pitch and hug the players and push the players and implement a certain style of play and implement some rules and principles. I can’t wait for that. We are very excited to be in charge of a match at Wembley. It’s beyond what I could imagine from my career.”