Brendan Rodgers
Jamie Vardy’s long-term future at Leicester City will be assessed in the summer with manager Brendan Rodgers hinting he could play beyond his current deal. Vardy returned to the scoresheet in midweek with a brace against Norwich, putting him back in the top 10 of the Premier League scoring chart. That is despite having only played 22 of the club’s 35 fixtures, with injuries setting him back this term. His fitness will be a key factor in determining his future, but Rodgers has said Vardy is “blessed genetically” and looks after himself really well, and so hopes more injuries can be staved off. He has one year remaining on his contract, and will be 36 when it expires.
Brendan Rodgers said: “There probably will have been some discussions behind the scenes, but at this moment in time we’re quite relaxed on it. He’s a true legend of the club, who still has many more games to go if he can get that luck with injuries and keep that level of hunger and energy. Sometimes older players don’t have that hunger, when they’ve been doing it for so long. But at this stage in his life, he is still keen to prove a point. To have longevity, you need that resilience and you need to look after yourself. Jamie is blessed genetically, but he still works very hard and keeps himself in the right condition. To get to that age and still look as fit as he does, it’s a real positive for how he looks after himself. You’re not God, so sometimes it’s luck that goes against you and against the player. Certainly, you have to manage the load of the player in order to keep them fit and ready for the games. You can do that and the players can still pick up injuries and that’s how it’s been for Jamie this season. When we do have him, he’s still showing that he’s an asset for us.”
Next week, Vardy will reach the 10th anniversary of his £1m move from Fleetwood to City. He’s scored 161 goals since, and will hope for more against Watford on Sunday, but it nearly didn’t happen for Vardy, who asked to go back to Fleetwood during his tough first year at the King Power Stadium.
Brendan Rodgers said: “I’ve spoken to him a number of times on the difficulties around his first year, coming out of non-league football where he was a star. Nigel (Pearson) and his recruitment team saw something in him and took the gamble. They deserve a huge amount of credit. He suffered a bit in those early stages, the adaptation to professionalism. But once he got the hang of it, he’s been amazing ever since. He’s a special player and a special person. Having had the chance to work with him close up and seeing the mentality he has, it’s a shame we have missed him for a lot of games this season. You saw the other night that his movement and his speed is still there. When you get to 35, everyone references your age, but it’s about how he is physically, and when he’s at that level, you can see he’s still a threat at the highest level. That’s 150 league goals now, which is a remarkable achievement. Hopefully he can stay fit and play many more games.”
