James Maddison missed Leicester City’s 3-3 draw with QPR to be present for the birth of his first child. Maddison, who played 45 minutes in each of City’s first two pre-season matches, was due to play at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium on Saturday afternoon but was given time off by manager Brendan Rodgers after his partner Kennedy Alexa went into labour. The 24-year-old later announced the birth of his son, Leo Cruz Maddison. His absence initially sparked speculation surrounding a move to Arsenal, with the Gunners keen on the attacking midfielder this summer. But that was not the case, as the manager explained.
Brendan Rodgers said: “James was going to play and then his partner Kennedy went into labour. Family is more important than football, so he gets himself away. I haven’t heard any news yet but hopefully he’ll become a father at some point today, if he hasn’t already.”
While Maddison was missing, Rodgers was able to bring a few players back into the fold, Youri Tielemans, Ayoze Perez, and Harvey Barnes all playing their first games of pre-season. Tielemans and Perez played 60 minutes, while Barnes played 45 on what was his first appearance for five months, following a knee injury and two subsequent operations. Assessing the game,
Brendan Rodgers said: “We’re a few weeks in so we’ve got a lot of work to do in the next couple of weeks. The players’ attitude and application so far has been first class and that’s what we expect. I really enjoyed watching the second half. I’ve got to say. In the first half, we had guys into the team that had been just back a week or so, guys like Youri getting his first minutes, so he has a bit to go in fitness. Ayo as well, I thought he worked hard, but his energy ran out when he had the ball. Harvey, also. These guys are getting their first minutes, so we didn’t quite have the energy in the team in the first half as we did in the second.”
