Winksy’s warning over Maddison

Harry Winks says we’ll need to be ultra-wary of conceding free-kicks at the King Power Stadium on Saturday with Leicester’s set-piece specialist James Maddison in fine form.

Midfielder Maddison, 22, has featured prominently in the Foxes’ attacking unit so far this term and joined Winksy in the latest England squad, where he was on the bench for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo.

Ahead of our return to Premier League action at Leicester on Saturday lunchtime (12.30pm), home-grown midfielder Harry admits Maddison is one of the players we’ll need to keep under control over the 90 minutes.

“I’ve known him for a while from England and he’s obviously a very good player, someone who is doing very well there and someone who can be dangerous in terms of creating opportunities for them,” said the 23-year-old, who is just under a year older than his Three Lions comrade.

“He’s also good from set-pieces so he’s someone we’ll have to watch out for and make sure we don’t give away too many free-kicks and corners.

“It’s going to be a good battle against him in those midfield areas and hopefully we can nullify him as a threat.”

Winks and Maddison are two of a number of talented young English players currently shining in the Premier League – something Harry admits is great for the wider good of the game in this country.

“It’s good to see a lot of up-and-coming young English players getting opportunities at clubs and doing so well because it’s something that the national team can benefit from,” he said.

“The more players that play in the Premier League at the highest level and play in these big games, the better it is for the national team. With more competition at that level, the better you become as players.”