Marc Albrighton makes Jamie Vardy prediction as striker nears Leicester City return

Leicester City winger Marc Albrighton has said that Jamie Vardy can carry on for ‘years’, despite having some injury problems this season.

Vardy is currently out with a knee injury having picked up the problem during his second game back after returning from a hamstring problem. The injuries have seen the striker play just 79 minutes of football so far in 2022.

With Vardy having turned 35 earlier this year, a lot has been made about how City will replace the forward in the next few years. However, Albrighton has predicted that City won’t have to worry about that just yet.

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“I think Vards can keep going for years,” he told TalkSPORT. “Whether he wants to, whether he might want to call it a day, if he was to call it a day he’s fully within his rights after what he’s achieved in the last six or seven years.

“But for me he could keep going, he could get back in the England squad, he could play as a number nine for Leicester for a good few years yet. And I think that goes to show, when he’s fit, obviously we’ve signed Patson Daka who’s come in with a massive reputation in terms of the way he plays and the things he’s done on the European stage as well, and Vards is keeping him out.”

Vardy retired from international football after the 2018 World Cup, but there has been calls for the City man to be recalled by manager Gareth Southgate for the upcoming winter World Cup in Qatar. Albrighton has however outlined why he and his fellow City teammates may be against that.

“He’s not going anywhere, yeah, he’s struggled with injuries and the international camps have given him the opportunity to get his body back to some kind of freshness after them breaks,” he added. “At the minute, from a selfish point of view, I’d rather he didn’t go back to England but I think he’s fully capable of it.”