Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy set to be sidelined for several weeks and will undergo surgery on his persistent hip problem, boss Brendan Rodgers confirms; "Vardy can't hold it off for much longer, there's a lot of time in the season for him to make an impact"
Friday 22 January 2021 15:23, UK
Jamie Vardy will have surgery on his persistent hip problem and will be out for "a few weeks", says Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers.
The 34-year-old has scored 11 goals for the Foxes in the Premier League this season but he will now be forced to be sidelined for a number of games after undergoing a minor hernia operation.
"Jamie Vardy will be out for a few weeks," Rodgers said. "As you know, we've been managing him over this last number of months, and he's been absolutely fantastic.
"We have a window now that allows him to have a minor operation on his hernia and then he'll be back within a few weeks. He'll be out for that period.
"It's one that doesn't keep him out for too long, but it's just a repair in and round that hernia area. It's one we feel he can't really put it off much longer.
"We were hoping to do it a few weeks back, but this is a window where we can get it done and that will obviously leave him with a good part of the season where he can be really influential for us."
Vardy has started 15 out of 18 Premier League games this season, taking part in all fixtures but the 1-0 loss to Aston Villa in October due to a calf injury.
Leicester's next Premier League opponents include Everton, Leeds, Fulham, Wolves, Liverpool and Aston Villa, while they will take on Slavia Prague in the Europa League round of 32 in February.
The Foxes sit third in the Premier League table, tied on points with Manchester City and two points behind Manchester United, and travel to Brentford in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
Leicester held preliminary talks with Inter Milan over a loan deal for Christian Eriksen, but walked away when the cost of the deal became clear.
Sky Sports News has confirmed a report in the Daily Telegraph, claiming the Danish midfielder's reported £300k-per-week salary at the Serie A club hampered the Foxes' interest.
Eriksen's wages at Inter are thought to be almost three times what Leicester's highest earners make and the club's hierarchy are not willing to sanction a deal at that cost.
The 28-year-old, who joined Inter from Tottenham in a £16.9m deal one year ago, has been linked with a return to the Premier League this month after being deemed "not functional" to Antonio Conte's project in Italy.
Nevertheless, a loan deal for a midfield player remains a possibility for Leicester in January, as they look to cover the hamstring injury to Dennis Praet which will keep him out for three months.
On Thursday, Sky Sports News reported Leicester were interested in the possibility of signing Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard on loan when it first became clear that he will be allowed to leave in January.
