JAMES MADDISON was embraced by Leeds boss Daniel Farke on the touchline as the Tottenham star made his first appearance for a year on Monday night.
The midfielder hadn’t featured for Spurs since suffering a knee injury in a 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt on May 1 last year.
Sign up for the Football newsletter
Thank you!
James Maddison made his long-awaited return to the pitch for Tottenham on Monday Credit: Reuters
He was embraced by old Norwich boss Daniel Farke as he made his first appearance for a eyar Credit: Sky Sports
Maddison then had a massive set-back after he ruptured his ACL during a pre-season friendly two months later.
The former Norwich and Leicester star has been slowly working towards a comeback and finally returned to the pitch in Tottenham’s 1-1 draw.
Maddison was introduced by boss Roberto De Zerbi in the 85th minute.
He received a hug from the Italian as fans gave him a warm reception inside the stadium.
SWIFTY
Win a Swift Trekker and a Volvo or £90k cash from just 34p with our code
‘Why he’s done that?’
Fans stunned as Spurs’ Tel gives away pen with ‘ridiculous’ challenge
But fans also noticed how opposition manager Farke made a point of acknowledging him too.
Maddison saw the German signalling at him on the touchline before they shook hands – and they embraced again at the final whistle.
BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK
Fans hailed Farke for his classy gesture to the Spurs playmaker Credit: Getty
The pair spent just over a year together at Norwich, when Maddison scored 15 goals for Farke in the 2017-18 Championship season before sealing a £20million move to Leicester.
Fans were impressed by the classy gesture as they heaped praise on Farke.
One wrote on X: “Daniel Farke shaking James Maddison’s hand before he goes back on the pitch after over a year out. What a class gentleman Daniel is. Just a lovely bloke.”
Another said: “Bloody love Farke. Most likeable manager in the PL.”
A third added: “He’s the nicest manager in the Premiership. He shows such great sportsmanship; he’s a true legend.”
Maddison made an immediate impact as he was denied a stoppage time penalty Credit: Getty
A fourth said: “Pure class from him, practically kickstarted his career at Norwich.”
And one commented: “Farke is a proper gentleman, basically saying hello to an old friend.”
Maddison ended up being involved in a key incident after he was denied a late penalty deep into stoppage time after being challenged by Lukas Nmecha.
The result was a huge blow for Spurs in their battle to avoid the drop as they failed to increase the gap to rivals West Ham.
But De Zerbi was pleased to see Maddison back on the pitch and hoped he could be crucial for the last two games.
He said: “Great news for us. He is a different player as a quality, as a guy and he will be I hope crucial for us. Yesterday I spoke with him about his physical condition and about how many minutes he could play.
“He played more than what he said yesterday. We are happy for him but I think we are in the right way.”
