Rodgers, whose side travel to Burnley on Saturday, is confident the 32-year old can make it to a top-flight ton.

He said: "Yeah, I would say he would do that. Absolutely. It's 26 goals he's got to go and he's as fit as a butcher's dog. As long as he doesn't get injuries he'll have a great chance.

"I don't want to trap the boy into pressure. For me it's getting him to enjoy his football and when you have that energy and happiness you produce good football.

"He's 32 and if he's fit and looks after his life – he's a natural goalscorer – he's going to give himself a chance. He's such a good player.

"He is tactically very good. He knows the game, he's got a real in-built brain for football. You sense that with him. He watches and studies the game.

"It's great to have that. When you have got guys who love football it helps."

Vardy would be the second oldest player, behind Ian Wright, to reach 100 Premier League goals having only made his top flight debut in 2014.

His early career took him to non-league clubs Stocksbridge, Halifax and Fleetwood before a £1million switch to Leicester in 2012 but Rodgers is not surprised it has taken him longer to reach the top.

He said: "Not really....he had other interests. Sometimes maturation takes a bit of time. Some guys don't come into their own until a little later. Some fall out of love with football.

"I remember Charlie Austin at Reading, he was in the academy from 8-15, his mother and father gave him everything but then he was falling out of love with it.

"He went away, worked on a building site for his dad's company and the next thing I hear there's a boy scoring down in Poole.

"He went to Swindon and all of a sudden he flew. He had too much football maybe, didn't want it, but then realised, 'there's an easier life here'."

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