Leicester striker Jamie Vardy says representing England would be 'the pinnacle' of his season

By Rory O'Callaghan & Dharmesh Sheth

Jamie Vardy is hoping England can emulate Leicester's success this season when they compete in the summer's European Championships

Jamie Vardy says winning Euro 2016 with England would be an equivalent achievement to Leicester winning the Premier League.

Vardy has enjoyed a remarkable season with the Foxes, scoring 24 goals in 37 games to help Claudio Ranieri's side secure the first league title in the club's history.

The 29 year-old striker, who was named as the FWA Footballer of the Year on May 2, is widely expected to be included in Roy Hodgson's squad for the upcoming European Championships in France.

And Vardy says the honour of playing for his country is as big an achievement as winning the league with his club.  

"That would be the pinnacle of this season for me," said Vardy, commenting on his potential inclusion in England's final squad for the tournament.

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Image: Vardy was named as the FWA Footballer of the Year in May

"Representing your country, at any time [is an honour] but to be in a tournament and hopefully being a part of something big happening - it can only be one of the best things ever."

Vardy admitted that he is still unsure of his place on the plane after Roy Hodgson delayed announcing his final squad.

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However, the Foxes striker remains confident of his chances and believes an English victory in France would be as impressive an achievement as Leicester's title triumph.

Image: Vardy is widely-expected to be included in Roy Hodgson's final squad for the upcoming Euros in France

"I think you would have to put them on the same level," he said.

"I haven't spoken to Roy. I saw it like everyone else on Sky Sports News, that the squad had been delayed, so I'll be tuning in on Monday night like everybody else."

Leicester finish a memorable campaign away at last season's champions Chelsea on Sunday.

And, despite many pundits predicting otherwise, Vardy says he expects the Foxes to be challenging at the top of the table again next year.  

"I think we'll be doing exactly the same," he said. "We've done it this season; the money was already there in those teams.

Leicester and England striker Jamie Vardy says he isn't interested in a move away from the Premier League champions

"We've turned up and played well - played better than them and got the points so why can't it happen again?

"Everyone was expecting us to get relegated this season. We'll just keep trying to improve on what we've done. We might have won the league this year but the gaffer will just want us to keep improving as a team.

"If that's not good enough to win it again then so be it but I'm sure we'll keep progressing because the gaffer wants to keep building.

"You never know. There's going to be a lot of changes to teams but at the end of the day it's still 11 v 11 when it comes to the game."

Image: Vardy lifts the Premier League trophy following the victory over Everton

Vardy, along with a number of other players including Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante, has been linked with a move away from the King Power Stadium this summer.

However, the former Stocksbridge Park Steels forward insists he is committed to Leicester and doesn't expect a mass exodus from the club at the end of the season.

"We've just won the league and we're in the Champions League next year and I think you can see from every one of the lads that we're all happy at Leicester," he said.

"I'm just concentrating solely on Leicester."

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