Jamie Vardy continues goal scoring run

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy has found the net nine times in as many Premier league appearances this season

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy has been one of the success stories of the Premier League so far this season.

The former non-league striker has now scored nine goals in the top-flight in nine appearances.

Eight of Vardy’s nine top-flight goals this season have come in his last five appearances. The 28-year-olds form has been so good of late that it has earned him international recognition with England.

Vardy scored twice for the Foxes against Southampton on Saturday to help his team recover from a goal deficit to claim a 2-2 draw at St Marys.

It has certainly been a meteoric rise for the striker, who cannot seem to do any wrong at the moment.

Rise

Vardy was highly prolific in non-league football with the likes of Stocksbridge Park Steels, Halifax Town and Fleetwood Town. The striker’s goals helped Fleetwood to promotion to the football league in 2012, but the same summer he moved to Championship Leicester, before he could feature for the North West side in League Two.

His move to the Midlands cost the Foxes an initial fee of £1million, a record fee for a non-league player. At the time his signing was regarded as a gamble. He has turned out to be a major bargain for the Foxes, despite a poor start to his career in the midlands.

Making his professional debut at 25, he struggled to find his form and reportedly boss Nigel Pearson had to talk Vardy out of quitting football.

His second season was far more successful, as Vardy hit 16 goals in the Championship and the Foxes were promoted to the top-flight as champions of the second tier.

Vardy struggled with the step-up to the top-flight at first, but his enthusiasm and will to work was appreciated by the Foxes fans. Towards the end of last season he hit a spot of form and helped keep his side in the Premier League.

The striker finished the campaign with five goals and 12 assists for the Foxes and this season he has just carried on that good form.

Confidence

Vardy looks like a striker who is full of confidence at the moment. Goals in five consecutive games have taken him to the top of the Premier League scoring charts this season.

He is currently three goals clear of South American superstars Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez of Manchester City and Arsenal respectively. His scoring form this season has been so impressive that he is now the third favourite to claim the Premier League golden boot this season at odds of 11/1.

For the striker to be amongst such illustrious company illustrates just how well he has played this season for the Foxes.

Attitude

Jamie Vardy is without doubt a decent footballer, but the reason for his current form is his attitude towards the game. The striker is energetic, works constantly for his team and looks like he enjoys playing the game.

Vardy does not leave anything on the pitch when he comes off the field. Maybe it is the fact that he appreciates his position more because he had to make it to the top from the bottom. He is a great example of a player who appreciates the living the game gives him.

Talented

The striker obviously has a lot of talent as well as a good attitude, which are vital attributes to have at the top level. His biggest attribute is his sheer pace, which he uses to great effect for Leicester on the counter-attack.

He is also an intelligent footballer, who finds space and has good movement. His 12 assists last season perfectly illustrate his knack for creating as well as scoring goals. Maybe he has been slightly more selfish this season, but that has resulted in Vardy nearly doubling his goal tally from last season already.

Euro 2016

There was no luck about his recent call-up to the England squad for the Euro 2016. Cynics have argued that it is easy to get a call-up to the Three Lions squad in recent months. England boss Roy Hodgson used 33 players during the qualification campaign.

Vardy was one of those players used, but there was probably not a player in the squad who was more deserving of a call-up on current form than the Leicester striker.

The striker is currently in a fantastic vein of form and despite decent competition for places in the England squad, the Leicester striker cannot be ignored for the Euro 2016 squad.

There is no sign of Vardy’s form abating and the way the striker has performed since the start of the season he really cannot be written-off for a place on the England plane to France next summer.

Should Jamie Vardy be in the England Euro 2016 squad?