MADDISON SITS OUT TRAINING AS ‘PRECAUTION’

JAMES MADDISON missed England’s training session yesterday because of his knee injury.

The issue had troubled the Leicester City midfielder, 25, during the last few weeks and he limped out of his club’s final game against West Ham before the World Cup.

Maddison (above) must be a worry for England’s opening game with Iran and was the only player to miss the session, with Gareth Southgate’s staff insisting it was a precaution.

England boss Southgate deliberately got the players to train in the scorching-hot lunchtime temperatures of 33-plus degrees.

It is to prepare them for the boiling conditions of Qatar, with the Iran game kicking off at 4pm local time (1pm UK time).

The temperatures are forecast to drop next week into the late 20s following a week of unseasonably warm weather.