Injury to Madders is a blow to Spurs and to those who love a maverick

LONG LAY-OFF SHOWS GAME'S BRUTAL SIDE

- BY ANDY DUNN Chief Sports Writer X@andydunnmirror

WHATEVER your opinion on Gary Neville, he has an incisive take on almost all footballing matters.

And one take that cut deep was when he looked back on a mind-numbing Manchester derby last April and labelled Premier League players “micromanaged and robotic”.

He was right. Which is why it will not only be Thomas Frank and Tottenham Hotspur who will miss James Maddison while he makes a long recovery from his latest injury.

It will be the Premier League. It will be the neutrals. It will be television viewers. And it should be Thomas Tuchel.

In these days when footballers' riches are spoken about in every medium, in every bar, in every stadium, drawing any level of sympathy for a top player's plight is tough.

You know the response — ah well, they earn enough. It is not like they are down the mines, or on the frontline. They can chill out and count their cash.