BRENDAN RODGERS has leapt to the defence of James Maddison to state the ill Leicester ace was not ignoring his England colleagues while playing poker.
The midfielder was sent home from the Three Lions camp before the weekend due to a bout of flu but drew criticism for venturing to the casino on Friday night.
That was while his international teammates lost a Euro 2020 qualifier 2-1 to Czech Republic, magnifying Maddison’s decision.
Sun Sport revealed how the trip chimed with worries over his character inside the England camp with the player yet to make his debut despite being called up twice.
Both Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane spoke after the incident to suggest it was a learning curve for Maddison, such is the extra scrutiny on international stars.
Foxes boss Rodgers agreed, remarking that Maddison “made a mistake” in going to the casino despite feeling better and still keeping track of the game while out.
The Northern Irishman surmised the incident on Thursday, telling reporters: “The kid went away, he took ill whilst he was away, he wanted to stay and hopefully be ready for the second game.
“The England medical staff, as he’s got flu and they don’t want to spread it to teammates, they decide that it’s best for him to leave the camp.
“So he leaves, he gets some tablets with our guys here, he feels better.
“He watches the game at home, on his own, on the Friday.
“He then goes out at half-time, probably he’ll make better decisions in his life, but he went to a casino on his own to sit and watch the second-half by a poker table.
“The suggestions are that he left purposely being ill and then goes to the casino – it’s totally not the case at all.”
Rodgers stated the Maddison remains “desperate” to play for England with the week “a difficult period for him”.
But he defended the 22-year-old by insisting doubts over his character are borne out of his naivety in gambling on the night of a game rather than a deeper personality problem.
Rodgers added: “His eyes have been opened to the wider world now, he knows what he did – in hindsight he’s made a mistake.”
