Jamie Vardy was unfortunate not to play more for England, his former Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson has said ahead of their meeting on Sunday. Vardy earned 26 caps between 2015 and 2018, retiring from international football after the World Cup in Russia. His first 11 caps came with Hodgson as manager, but the current Watford boss has said the teams the Three Lions faced didn’t allow for Vardy to be at his best. Ahead of Leicester City’s trip to the relegated Hornets,
Roy Hodgson said: “He was excellent to coach. Jamie Vardy is a guy who really is what you see – his enthusiasm, his work rate, his desire and talent of course. You don’t play for England without talent. I think he was unfortunate because his major strength is running behind people and stretching defences, and we often played against packed defences where there was no space to run behind. I found him a joy to work with and was always pleased to see him because he has that smile on his face. It’s a credit to him really because his start meant that he came into that cauldron that little bit later. He has come in with that incredible enthusiasm and dynamism.”
For the second game running, City are playing against a side who have already been relegated. But while Norwich have not picked up any points since their return to the Championship was confirmed, Watford valiantly held Everton to a draw in midweek.
Roy Hodgson said: “I’m really happy to give those boys that played against Everton another go. If anything, they deserve it. I’m not crying or bleating about the situation – I’m actually quite looking forward to it. For me, watching the game the other night was one of the more enjoyable experiences I’ve had here at Watford. They played together and did it with plenty of determination and guts. It might be somewhat of a pity for them if they suddenly found themselves taken out because some of the players were coming back. If the team was to pull the victory off against Leicester City it would be a tribute to them, and I would be delighted. I’ve learnt certainly one thing in my 75 years; you can dream, hope and say all the right things in press conferences but, there is only thing that really counts and that is when the referee blows his whistle on a Saturday afternoon and you are facing the 11 players in front of you.”
