Leicester City star James Maddison WILL get England recall eventually, claims Emile Heskey as he battles Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Mason Mount for role

Emile Heskey believes it’s only a matter of time before Leicester’s James Maddison forces his way back into the England squad. 

Maddison has fallen out of favour at international level following the rise of the likes of Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Mason Mount.

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Their form, coupled with a dip in Maddison's displays have led to an extended exile from Gareth Southgate's group.

He has again missed out on selection with the Three Lions boss opting against selecting him for his side's final two World Cup qualifiers. 

The 24-year-old has also struggled with injury over the last year and spoke recently about suffering from a loss of confidence after what he described as the toughest period of his career.

But after a spell in and out of the Leicester starting eleven, Maddison looks to be returning to his best and scored his first goal since February during the Foxes’ recent 2-1 away over Brentford.

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More displays like that will undoubtedly lead to Maddison’s name being touted for an England recall and Leicester legend Heskey is confident the 24-year-old’s time will come sooner rather than later. 

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, Heskey said: “It’s great to have James Maddison at the top of his game. A lot of people don’t look at other things when your form dips. They just look at the fact you’re not playing well. 

“Again, he’s had a new baby and I can vouch for that and say at times, it can be difficult with that. But we don’t look at all of that. We just look at what’s happening on the pitch. 

“He’s gone from being up there with the Jack Grealish’s and Foden’s etc and is now having to deal with not being talked about in the same vein.

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"But, when you’re looking at the stuff he’s doing on the pitch, he’s still doing it. He gets in those little positions and gets in those little pockets and works hard on his touch and works hard on getting forward and works hard on sliding people in and scoring goals. His name will be thrown in there again.

“You don’t do anything without the performances for your team. Once you start putting in those performances for your team, you catch people’s eye. 

“So, he’s got to catch the eye of not just the manager, but the whole team and he will do. At the end of the day, you’re talking about a young lad. He’s not old. He’s still got plenty of time to achieve a lot of the stuff [he wants to].”