James Maddison has shared an interesting detail about his conversation with Roberto De Zerbi prior to his first Tottenham start in 18 months.In his pre-match press conference, De Zerbi refused to confirm if Maddison would start against Coventry City.In the end, the Italian’s hand was forced, with Conor Gallagher not deemed fit to start, paving the way for the former Leicester City man to make his first start since April of last year.Maddison showed Spurs exactly what they have been missing over the last 18 months, with the 29-year-old bringing a touch of quality and playing passes through the lines with ease.He produced a moment of outstanding individual brilliance in the 14th minute to put Tottenham ahead, sweeping a Mohammed Kudus cutback into the top corner from outside the box.Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesTottenham star James Maddison admits ‘dark days’ during rehab paid offThe England international has had several setbacks on his road to full fitness, and he has seen his teammates struggle from the sidelines for the past year and a half.Maddison admitted that the feeling he had when he scored made all the hard work behind the scenes over the last 18 months worthwhile. The midfielder also shared the message that De Zerbi gave him before the game.Speaking to Sky Sports, the Tottenham star said: “Without going too deep into it, they were dark days during rehab. You dream of those moments, those goals, that’s always the light at the end of the tunnel. I felt emotional for Dejan Kulusevski, because I know exactly that feeling, after that time out. Those sort of goals make it all worth it.“I spoke to the gaffer about this week whether it was the right moment to come into the first XI after a bit of a stop-start start to the season. I just wanted to play well, show my qualities and what I bring to the team and what the team has missed the last 18 months. The gaffer asked me to play and he wanted to enjoy watching me from the sidelines, hopefully I did that.”Dejan Kulusevski admits reception from Spurs fans was reward for his hard workIt was an even bigger night for Dejan Kulusevski, who came on as an 87th-minute substitute to make his first appearance since May of last year.The Swede showed glimpses of his outstanding quality, with Spurs fans not only letting out a loud roar when he came on but also cheering almost every single one of his touches.When asked about his return to the pitch, the 26-year-old told Sky: “The reaction from the fans made it all worthwhile – I never gave up on this moment.”The moment we’ve all been waiting for 🥹Welcome back, Deki 🤍 https://t.co/PkCsAUlhCD— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 20, 2026READ MORE: Three winners and three losers from Tottenham’s first Premier League win of the seasonThe post James Maddison opens up on ‘dark days during rehab’ but Tottenham joy ‘makes it worth it’ appeared first on Spurs Web.