Ruud van Nistelrooy gives Jamie Vardy future verdict after Leicester City prediction pays off
The “remarkable” Jamie Vardy can topple more Premier League records with Ruud van Nistelrooy backing him to “carry on for a long time”.
Vardy ended a mini goal drought by netting Leicester City’s equaliser at Tottenham. He’d gone six Premier League matches without scoring before Sunday’s goal, with his previous longest dry spell just three games.
Scoring in the Premier League for the first time as a 38-year-old keeps Vardy on course to set a new record. With seven goals and three assists, that’s now 10 goal involvements this season. The most in the Premier League for a player aged 38 or over stands at 13, by Teddy Sheringham in 2004.
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While Vardy looks well-placed to surpass that number this term, van Nistelrooy suggests he will get plenty of opportunities to do so in future seasons. Because he doesn’t think he’s calling it a day any time soon, suggesting he believes the captain should be getting a new contract when his current deal expires this summer.
The City manager said: “It’s difficult to look into the future, but if I look at it now, at a 38-year-old striker in the Premier League who is performing like he is, with his fitness levels and his intelligent movement in and out of possession, and the leader that he is for us, it’s remarkable. The way he looks after himself, for me it implies he can carry on for a long time.”
Vardy’s six games without scoring was a surprise in that he had been having more chances than usual. His finishing has been letting him down.
But as far as van Nistelrooy was concerned, there was nothing to correct. Speaking before the weekend, he was adamant that a goal was just around the corner for the number nine, his prediction coming true.
He said: “I’m very happy you noticed (Vardy is having more shots) because it’s a vital stat in the belief, creating chances. Taking them, that’s the next step.
“Jamie, one of his best qualities is that he’s not affected by missing a chance. He’s like: ‘Next, next, next.’ If we keep playing like this and get him into these situations, he will start scoring. It’s up to us to create the chances for him and the goals will come.”
