James Maddison has explained why Roberto De Zerbi took him off after 69 minutes during Tottenham’s 3-1 win over Coventry on Monday night.

Maddison scored on his first competitive start for Spurs in 17 months as they earned their first league win of the season to move off the bottom of the Premier League table.

Having struggled for fitness since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the end of last season, it was clear just how much Spurs have missed Maddison.

The England midfielder dictated play and opened the scoring at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a superb whipped effort from the edge of the area.

Spurs lost control of the game after Maddison was substituted for Conor Gallagher before the 70-minute mark, but speaking at full-time, the 29-year-old admitted that while he felt he could have played on, he and De Zerbi were continuing to be sensible about the amount of minutes he plays.

“Gaffer said, 'Just give me 60 (minutes) and take it sensible.’ He wanted 70 in the end. I felt good enough to carry on, but obviously you tire a bit because I haven’t started many games,” Maddison said.

It was an emotional night for Maddison against his former club, but his return to the starting lineup was ultimately overshadowed by Dejan Kulusevski’s first Spurs appearance in 526 days.

The Swedish playmaker has been out since May 2025 with a patella injury which has required two separate surgeries, but he came on in the 87th minute to help see out a vital three points for Spurs.

Maddison and Kulusevski have been on similar journeys and were deep in conversation at full-time as they no doubt reflected on their long roads to recovery.

Speaking about his own return to the side, Maddison was quick to shift the focus to Kulusevski, who has been out for nearly a year and a half with an injury which was initially described as a “small knock”.

“Nearly 18 months (since Maddison’s last competitive start), and that is why I was so happy for Kulusevski because I know what journey he has been on,” Maddison continued.

“Great night. We needed that as well as a club because we have not won enough games in the past couple of seasons. So, hopefully that can be a good starting block for myself and the team this season.”