Before James Maddison talks about his father's tears, bending it like Beckham and dealing with expectation, he wants to set the record straight.
Leicester's ebullient midfielder is in the form of his life and fighting fit. The knee injury which forced his substitution at West Ham last weekend is nothing untoward and, all being well, he will have the chance to win his second England cap against Iran on Monday.
It has been a long time between dances for Maddison, who had not been picked by Gareth Southgate since playing 34 minutes against Montenegro in November 2019.