Fans in agreement over who should replace James Maddison in England squad after injury withdrawal

Tottenham star James Maddison has been forced to withdraw from the England squad through injury - and fans are in agreement over who should replace him.

Maddison was named in Southgate's squad on Thursday for the upcoming international fixtures against Malta and North Macedonia.

But there was a doubt over the midfielder's status, given that he was forced off the pitch during Monday's 4-1 defeat to Chelsea due to a suspected ankle injury.

Speaking in his press conference after announcing the squad, Southgate was confident that Maddison would be fit to report for international duty - but Tottenham have confirmed that is not the case.

The club tweeted: "We can confirm that James Maddison has been withdrawn from the England squad due to an ankle injury.

"The midfielder will not feature in the Three Lions' Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, and will remain at Hotspur Way for rehabilitation with the club's medical staff."

Southgate will now need to call up a replacement to his squad - and fans believe that one of Maddison's north London rivals should be first choice.

Taking to X (Twitter), one wrote: "Cole Palmer has to be called up."

Another agreed: "If Gareth Southgate doesn't call [Palmer] up now..."

A third added: "Palmer time or we riot."

And a fourth said: "To not reward Cole Palmer with a senior call up after his recent form for Chelsea is a joke."

Palmer has settled nicely into life at Chelsea after moving to Stamford Bridge from Manchester City in the summer.

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Already one of Mauricio Pochettino's key players, the 20-year-old scored a penalty in the 4-1 win over Spurs on Monday, before assisting Nicolas Jackson's hat-trick goal in injury time.

He has five goal contributions to his name in eight Premier League games this term, and has been named as player of the match on three occasions.

Speaking about Palmer's impressive start last month, Blues boss Pochettino explained: "Cole Palmer is a good link player and links with all his team-mates.

"We are giving him a starting position on the right to play in between the lines because he is ready to be unpredictable. Football is a game where you need to be unpredictable and he has the capacity to do this."

Is Palmer the right player to replace Maddison in the England squad? Let us know in the comments.