An untimely injury blow for Leicester City ahead of important fixture run
Third-placed Leicester City have a hectic fixture list coming up and they need to survive it without their main striker Jamie Vardy.
The club confirmed on Friday Vardy is in need of an operation with the player suffering long-term from a hernia problem. The forward has been playing with the issue for a while according to the manager – who affirmed they’ve been monitoring him since becoming aware of it.
"Leicester City will be without Jamie Vardy for ‘a few weeks’ as the striker undergoes hernia surgery in a blow to the Foxes’ title race aspirations.Vardy had been visibly struggling towards the end of some games this season, despite managing 11 Premier League goals, and he will now have an operation to bring him back to full fitness."
Brendan Rodgers, with the club and player, felt it best if they with the concern now rather than later – stating the league has a long way to go before it ends. Out of the last 10 Leicester outings, Jamie Vardy has not played the full 90 minutes in four of them.
Brendan Rodgers on the Jamie Vardy problem:
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"It will help the area repair. He can’t hold it off for much longer, there’s a lot of time in the season for him to make an impact."
Can Leicester City make it through a week with Jamie Vardy?
Not the best time to lose your star striker who has bagged 11 Premier League goals and assisted a further five in a season where the Foxes appear to be real title contenders. Now the manager will look to the rest of the squad for goals.
Lucky for him, Vardy’s had help during the rise of Leicester. Harvey Barnes and James Maddison have been sharing the goal responsibilities with the club’s all-time top scorer. They just need to stay fit and remain consistent in front of goal.
Before Leicester entertains Rodgers’ old club, they have four Premier Leauge fixtures to play plus FA Cup action, with the latter taking place first. All of these are must-wins, judging by how tight affairs are at the summit of the EPL standings.
Leicester City next 4 EPL fixtures
Everton vs. Leicester City
Leicester City vs. Leeds United
Fulham vs. Leicester City
Wolves vs. Leicester City
Thankfully, the task at hand will be no longer than a few weeks, and they are hoping to get the number 9 back as soon as February – they welcome Liverpool to the King Power Stadium for an important clash for teams fighting for a top-four spot on his return.
"Rodgers will hope to have Vardy back for home game against Liverpool on 13 February, and the Europa League knockout tie against Slavia Prague which follows. (Via: www.independent.co.uk)"
Now the question is who will the Northern Irishman fill the void with left by Vardy? Will it be out-of-favour, Kelechi Iheanacho or Ayoze Pérez?
Between the pair, there is only one goal to boast with both attackers playing 11 and 10 games, respectively. Not much to look forward to with these numbers present.
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This is a predicament that will be a permanent reality soon – losing Vardy to age. Jamie is 34 years old and a backup or long-term replacement must be invested in by the King Power club.