James Maddison sparked fresh injury concerns after being forced off during Tottenham's 2-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday

James Maddison has spoken out on social media after injury concerns resurfaced during Tottenham's victory over Chelsea. The midfielder was forced off shortly after the restart and appeared visibly downcast as he made his way from the pitch, with Chelsea players showing their support.

Referee Chris Kavanagh temporarily halted play just minutes into the second half after Maddison went to ground in discomfort. Spurs' medical staff quickly assessed the midfielder before deciding he could not continue, leading to his substitution.

The setback came just days after Maddison made his first start in almost 18 months following a lengthy recovery from a serious knee problem. The midfielder initially suffered a knee injury during the Europa League semi-final first-leg clash with Bodo/Glimt before rupturing his ACL later that summer in pre-season.

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Those issues restricted him to brief substitute appearances towards the end of last season, with Maddison often struggling to reach full sharpness as Roberto De Zerbi sought inspiration during Spurs' battle to avoid relegation.

However, the 29-year-old looked far closer to his best against former club Coventry City, producing an impressive display and capping it with a superb goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before being withdrawn midway through the second half.

Despite a similar situation unfolding at Stamford Bridge, Maddison took to social media to share pictures from the match as he celebrated his side's derby victory over their London rivals.

Accompanying the images, Maddison simply wrote: "Oh when the Spurs," in reference to the club's famous chant.

He made no mention of a potential injury, although his silence offers little indication of how serious the issue might be. Maddison's partner, Kennedy Alexa, was among thousands to comment on the post, writing: "Proud of you."

Spurs supporters also flooded the comments section, with some expressing concern over his fitness by writing 'hope you're okay', while others highlighted the fact that Spurs have won both matches he has started.

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Speaking after the match, Spurs boss De Zerbi expressed hope that Maddison's injury was not serious, telling Sky Sports: "Who loves football loves James Madison. He's a special player.

"I said in the dressing room in front of everybody, James let me know the problem because we need you. We need you on the pitch, we need you everywhere because it's too important for us.

"Not very important problem I hope. We need to make the medical check tomorrow. I hope it's not a big problem because he's a special player for us. We need him."