Brendan Rodgers
Do not write Jamie Vardy off, even if Patson Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho are pushing him in the battle to be Leicester City’s number one striker. That’s the message from manager Brendan Rodgers, who must decide if he brings City’s talisman back into his starting line-up to face Tottenham on Saturday evening, or sticks with Daka and Iheanacho after their successful outing at Brighton. Vardy is yet to hit the net this season, and has only had one shot on target in five starts. He dropped to the bench a fortnight ago on the south coast as Rodgers turned to Daka and Iheanacho, with the number nine’s deputies both on the scoresheet. Rodgers said he needs Vardy to be able to “put his foot to the floor” when he’s on the pitch, and so will use him accordingly. But he said it’s not time to start discussing the end of Vardy’s time as City’s main man.
Brendan Rodgers said: “It’s just respecting where he’s at at the time and age of his career. We have a number of players for a purpose. The two guys (Daka and Iheanacho) came in and did very well in the last game, but you can never write Jamie off because he still has that hunger, that drive, and that desire. I don’t think I can expect of him what he was doing five years ago. We just have to maximise what he has and what he can give us, whether that’s for 60, 75, or 90 minutes, or 30 minutes off the bench. All I ever want from Jamie and from the players in those positions is that they put their foot to the floor for every single minute they are on the field. If they can do that, they are always going to be in with a chance of playing. He’s clever enough. He’s 36 in January. He knows where he is at and does everything he can to look after himself. It’s a challenge for any player, especially goalscorers and top players, when that time comes in your career when you’re maybe not used quite like you were before. It’s never easy. It’s always difficult to accept. However, you’ve got to try to support the team and the collective and then do the very best you can when you’re asked to play.”
Vardy signed a new contract in the summer, meaning he will be at the King Power Stadium until 2024, by which time he will be 37. He finished with 15 goals last season, with the best goals-per-game ratio of any player in the division.
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