Leicester boss heaps praise on Jamie Vardy after battling back from broken wrist

In-form Leicester striker Jamie Vardy is not letting a broken wrist stop him from playing

CLAUDIO RANIERI says wild horses couldn't drag battered goal ace Jamie Vardy off the pitch right now.

 

Leicester's in-form England striker is on a hot streak and won't let the small matter of a broken wrist get in the way.

Ranieri says his tireless hitman brushed aside any suggestion of taking a break at home to Crystal Palace today to get it sorted out and will wear a lightweight cast to protect two cracked bones.

Vardy tops the Premier League scoring charts on nine and has hit the net six games on the spin, and Ranieri said: "He doesn't want his wrist to interfere with what he's doing. He just wants to continue playing. It's important for him that he doesn't stop. He's hungry and that's a big thing.

 

Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri insisted Vardy brushed away any suggestions of taking a break

"It's a great position for a manager when you have strikers scoring goals. I've had some of the best in my time - Gianfranco Zola, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Gabriel Batistuta.

"It would be wrong to put Jamie in that company right now but he is doing fantastically.

"He has great intensity, great concentration. He's got a strong mentality and never gives up. He's an inspiration with the way he is because then others believe."

 

Palace manager Alan Pardew reckons Vardy can use the examples set by England's most gifted strikers to cement his growing reputation.

"It is astonishing what he has done so far," said Pardew. "He is the form striker of the season, and the key for him now is to stay consistent.

"He's had a big year so far and has made the international side but, it is only his first year, and he has to back it up. To do that, he has to put himself up against the best players in his position.

"Some of my players like Wilfried Zaha and Jason Puncheon can look at Vardy and see he has pulled up trees. If you can do that in the Premier League the manager will put you in the team."

Pardew is concerned about a lack of firepower in his own team. He has only Frazier Campbell and Patrick Bamford to pick from and said: "This week is an opportunity for strikers to make a case.

Dwight Gayle is suspended while Connor Wickham and Marouane Chamakh are still two weeks from being fully fit."