Hodgson reveals a strong contender for England Euro squad

England manager Roy Hodgson says Leicester frontman Jamie Vardy is very close to booking his seat on the plane to next summer’s European Championships in France.

Vardy, 28, has started the season in extraordinary form and has been integral to Leicester’s startling rise to the top of the Premier League.

The former non-league striker set a new Premier League record for scoring in 11 straight games last month and is currently the division’s top goalscorer (14).

The Leicester No.9 hasn’t yet been able to transfer his domestic form onto the international scene in his four England caps, but Hodgson has revealed he is a “strong contender” to be in his squad for France next summer.

“You can’t get a much better contribution than match-winning goals, but he has actually done an awful lot of running, chasing, making very good runs behind defenders,” Hodgson told England’s official website.

“He has constantly been a thorn in the side of every defence he has played against and worked his socks of defensively for Leicester to make sure that any lead they have got, they are able to keep. 

“That is a very commendable thing for him to do, whilst scoring a lot of goals and breaking records in the process.

“To do it having arrived in top level football so late - it was really only in the latter part of last season that he started to make a serious mark and attract our attention as a regular Leicester City player doing well in the team - it has been a remarkable rise and a remarkable success story. 

“We can only hope that he can keep his form up. Jamie won’t score in every game between now and when I select a team for the Euros, but what he can do is continue to be Jamie Vardy, playing in the way Jamie Vardy does, and that is always going to make him a very strong contender.” 

The Leicester frontman has played a direct hand in eight goals (seven goals + 1 assist) in his last seven league matches for the Foxes.

For more stats on Jamie Vardy, click here to visit his WhoScored player page