Leicester’s Hamza Choudhury Banned After Criticising Rodgers

Leicester City star James Maddison has been banned from training after publicly criticising manager Brendan Rodgers’ ‘strange’ team selection decisions.

The 23-year-old midfielder, who has been a key player for the Foxes since joining from Norwich City in 2018, was left out of the starting line-up for the club’s Premier League clash with West Ham United on Sunday.

Maddison took to social media to express his frustration at the decision, writing: “Strange one not to start today.”

The post was quickly deleted, but it was enough to earn him a reprimand from Rodgers, who has now banned him from training until further notice.

The Northern Irishman is understood to be unhappy with Maddison’s public criticism of his team selection and has taken a hard-line stance in order to protect the team’s unity.

Maddison has been a regular starter for Leicester since joining the club, making over 100 appearances in all competitions.

He has scored 15 goals and provided 15 assists in that time, helping the Foxes to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League last season and a place in the Europa League this term.

The former Coventry City youngster has also been capped four times by England, and was part of the squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Maddison’s ban from training is a blow for Leicester, who are currently fifth in the Premier League table and have a crucial Europa League clash with Slavia Prague on Thursday.

It remains to be seen how long Maddison will be banned for, but it is clear that Rodgers is determined to make an example of the midfielder in order to protect the team’s spirit and unity.

The incident is a reminder of the importance of respecting the manager’s decisions, and it will be interesting to see how Maddison responds when he is eventually allowed to return to training.