Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has defended James Maddison for playing poker after leaving the England camp with illness.

Maddison was spotted on Friday evening in a casino during England's Euro 2020 qualifier in the Czech Republic on Friday after illness ruled him out of the match.

But Rodgers says Maddison has been portrayed in an unfair and false light by the press.

"It was a difficult period for him, there is no doubt, because obviously what was portrayed in an article in the press was wasn't quite how it was, which is not a big surprise," Rodgers told a news conference.

"The kid went away with the international team, he took ill whilst he was away. He wanted to stay, and hopefully be ready for the second game, but the England medical staff - and you can understand it, he's got flu - they don't want it to spread his team-mates. They decide that it's best for him to to to leave the camp.

"So he leaves. He gets some tablets with our guys here at the club. He feels better. He watches the game at home on his own on the Friday.

"And he then goes out at half-time. Probably he'll make better decisions in his life, but he went to a casino on his own, to sit and watch the second half by a poker table.

"Now the suggestions are he left England purposely and then goes to casino - it's totally not the case at all

"But his eyes have been opened to the wider world now in terms of what he did. He knows in hindsight that he's made a mistake.

"But I want to reiterate, because this is a player I have seen (of) in the last few months various stories around his arrogance, around his mentality. They're totally false.

"I'm not sure where the stories are coming from, but it's not what this boy's about. He's a very talented player, he has a belief in his ability. He is a wonderful personality on the field and he's actually a really, really good boy off it."