Following a season spent mostly on the sidelines, a contract that runs until 2028 and growing noise that James Maddison could be Tottenham Hotspur’s next captain, this feels like a big season for a star player.James Maddison joined Tottenham in 2023 and has gone on to score 16 goals in 78 appearances for the club. These figures could be even higher had Maddison missed the vast majority of the 2025-26 season through injury.As he prepares to make a comeback from an ACL injury, reports suggest Roberto De Zerbi will hand him the captain’s armband this season.That alone suggests he is central to the Italian’s plans. But, repaying that faith feels of paramount importance to Maddison, with the pressure arguably on to remind everyone what he’s all about.Credit: @harryphoto.kr / InstagramThe rise of James Maddison at TottenhamAfter coming through the ranks at Coventry City, James Maddison joined Norwich City in January 2016. After a loan back to the Sky Blues, followed by an impressive spell at Aberdeen, Maddison returned to Norwich for the second part of the 2016-17 campaign.It was the 2017-18 season, however, under Daniel Farke where he well and truly arrived. He was Norwich’s Player of the Season. He was nominated for the EFL Championship’s Young Player of the Season. Unsurprisingly, he then earned a Premier League move.He spent the next five seasons with Leicester City as a first-team regular, winning the FA Cup on that journey, before joining Tottenham in 2023. Maddison’s leadership qualities were quickly evident to then head coach, Ange Postecoglou, who made him a vice-captain. Under big Ange, Maddison flourished. At one point – as per Transfermarkt data – he was Tottenham’s most valuable player, worth around £60 million. That data today suggests he’s now worth £17 million. That shows the impact of the injury, Maddison’s age (29) and the end of his Spurs contract beginning to loom.So, he was top dog. Then injured. Now he could be made captain. But is he going to be the same player after injury? Can he earn a new and improved contract to likely pave the way for near enough finishing his career with the Lilywhites?Let’s get into it.Will Maddison be the same player he once was?Anterior cruciate ligaments sit at the heart of the knee, helping to keep it stable. When that gets torn or ruptured, it can rule a footballer out of action for quite some time.It’s not just getting match fit again, though.In an interview with the BBC, Physiotherapist, Ben Warburton explained how it takes a minimum of six months, post-surgery, for a player to get match-fit. Returning after that time though is ill-advised as the chances of reaggravating the injury are high. Nine months is a better window to aim for. Once back, though, recapturing the form and capabilities once shown can be difficult.A good recent example is that of Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendia. Buendia sustained a “significant knee injury”, later revealed to be his ACL, on the eve of the 2023-24 season. He missed the entire campaign, only returning in July 2024.Even then, Buendia struggled to recapture the form that had convinced Aston Villa to part with almost £40 million to buy him from Norwich City. So much so, he was sent out on loan to Bayer Leverkusen. He was told he could leave the following summer.Buendia fought back. He re-established himself as a first-team regular, recapturing his best form. He was a key part of Villa’s run to winning the Europa League. But it sheds some light of how long it can actually take to be fully back.The consensus is it takes 9-12 months to recover and return to action. It then takes another full season to fully recapture pre-injury form.What does 2026-27 hold for James Maddison at Tottenham?The reaction from fans to the news Maddison could be Tottenham’s new captain illustrates the challenge the former Norwich man is up against.Doubts were expressed over his availability, given injuries. One even said he’d “probs be replaced next season”.It’s true it’s not just the ACL that has ruled Maddison out of action at Tottenham – with 11 games missed in 2024-25 and 13 missed in 2023-24. But the nature of the recovery from an ACL does present a very steep challenge.Whereas a player whose game is based on pace and power may especially struggle coming back from such a traumatic injury, perhaps the nature of Maddison’s game makes things a little easier for him.His is based more on intelligence and precision. Does that suggest it could be a smoother journey back to his best? It’s going to be a very different Tottenham HotspurPerhaps one of the biggest things in his favour is where Tottenham as a whole are coming from. Last season was bad. It’s hard to get worse than that in 2026-27. There’s little in the way of an upwardly mobile settled side, playing good football, for Maddison to have to fight his way back into.Furthermore, with the level of summer investment and work De Zerbi is doing, Maddison may not quite have to take the team on his shoulders as he once felt he did. He’ll have the likes of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes contributing in midfield with him. There will undoubtedly be additions further up field too.With the prospect of having other players that will step up, that gives Maddison a little more time, and little less pressure, to regain his best form. The long and the short of it is, we honestly have no idea what sort of James Maddison is coming back from injury now. The end to the 2025-26 season did not really give us much in the way of answers.What we do know, though, is he’s coming back into the first-team picture of a very different Tottenham Hotspur.With a new coach to impress, who seemingly has massive faith in him; a contract that runs until 2028; and a European championships with England on the horizon, all the incentives are there for Maddison. It’ll be up to him to show he’s still got it.The post Will James Maddison be the same player he once was for Tottenham after injury? appeared first on Spurs Web.