Fleetwood Town owner Andy Pilley has hailed his former player Jamie Vardy after the striker scored his tenth goal of the season and says that the 28-year-old could lead the line for England at Euro 2016
Vardy joined the likes of Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer in becoming only the eighth player to score in seven consecutive Premier League games by netting the winner against Crystal Palace on Saturday after a remarkable rise from non-league football.
Pilley paid Halifax Town £150,000 for the striker in 2011 and after the signing hit 31 goals to send Fleetwood into the Football League for the first time in their history, he sold him to then-Championship Leicester for £1m in May 2012.
He says that Vardy has always had the qualities necessary to succeed a the top level, and insists that the forward can reach even grester heights on the domestic and international stage.
"Nothing fazes him at all, it doesn't matter whether he is playing in non-league with 100 people or playing at Wembley," Pilley told The Mirror. "It matters not to Jamie and I would back him all day long – he is as cool as a cucumber.
"There is a common theme with Jamie because wherever he plays the team wins leagues, but if he played at one of the real big boys I think he would be exceptional. The intensity of his game is relentless and he has shown that he has an end product.
"I think that England fans who don't understand or realise what an exceptional player he is would be pleasantly surprised. That is not just for nostalgia because he used to play for us, I think that he is worthy of a place [at Euro 2016] and won't let anyone down."
Vardy has scored four more goals than any other Premier League player this season after his winner on Saturday.
Tom Nightingale
