James Maddison reveals he has studied Bruno Fernandes

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James Maddison reveals he has studied Bruno Fernandes

Leicester and England midfielder James Maddison has admitted to studying Bruno Fernandes to see how he can add more goals to his game.

Maddison has enjoyed an excellent first half of the season at Leicester with his performances good enough to earn him a place in England's World Cup squad.

That is largely due to the goals he has scored, with the 25-year-old finding the back of the net seven times in 13 Premier League matches.

But he hasn't always been a goalscoring midfielder, never getting more than eight across an entire season prior to the 2021/22 campaign, in which he really found his eye for goal.

Improving that area of his game has been something he's actively tried to do, and he's revealed that he has watched Manchester United's Fernandes closely in his attempts to do so.

"I don't think there is a player I model myself on now, maybe when I was younger," he told the press when asked who he emulated.

"I appreciate all the good players in the Premier League and try to take stuff from players wherever I can. I'm often watching players in my position.

"A couple of seasons ago when I thought to myself 'how can I score my goals?' and I wasn't in the squad, Bruno Fernandes was playing very well for Man Utd and putting up ridiculous numbers in terms of goals and assists.

"So I probably watched him a little bit closer at that time. 'How is he scoring so many goals and what runs is he making that I'm not?'"