Jamie Vardy dismissed Retirement Speculation as Leicester Secures Championship Title”
Vardy, amidst retirement rumors, reaffirmed his commitment to the game as Leicester clinched the Championship title with a convincing 3-0 win over Preston North End.
The 37-year-old striker, whose contract expires this summer, netted goals on either side of halftime,
with Kasey McAteer sealing the victory with a close-range header in the 67th minute, delighting Leicester’s traveling supporters.
Leicester’s immediate promotion to the Premier League was confirmed earlier due to Leeds’ heavy 4-0 defeat to QPR on Friday night.
Enzo Maresca‘s side now aims to conclude their remarkable season with a home fixture against Blackburn this weekend.
Vardy:
‘The season has gone quickly but it’s a graft! Not many days off, I’ll tell you that for nothing!’
‘The lads have given it their all. As you’ve seen us play, that’s like it is in training. It’s full throttle.
‘It’s thoroughly deserved and I’m just glad we’ve had 5,000 here tonight to come and celebrate with us.
‘The fans are massive. It’s not like it’s 20 minutes up the road.
It’s a night game and to come out in those numbers, all still here now and wanting to celebrate.
‘If you let them, they’d be here on the pitch with us! It’s great to do it.
Read Also: Tuesday’s Transfer Gossip: Salah, Araujo, Pentz, Guehi, Rashford
‘We can celebrate this tonight but now we’ve got another target which is 100 points on,
Saturday so we’ll make sure we celebrate that tonight and we’ll go again on Saturday where we get to celebrate with all the home fans.’
The former England international praised his team-mates for ‘taking in everything’ and being able to implement what Maresca had worked on in training across the campaign.
‘We’re obviously over the moon because that was the target at the start of the season.’
‘But we knew it could have gone the other way if we’re honest as obviously we’ve only been together since July so you never know what’s going to happen.
‘The lads have taken in everything that the gaffer’s wanted, how he wants us to play, and listen to the fans now. It’s obviously worked.’
Before kick-off, Vardy made it clear he had no intention of quitting, with the attacker seemingly keen for another season in the Premier League – eight years on from the club’s unforgettable title-winning campaign.
‘Listen, I’m not ready to hang the boots up yet.’
‘The legs feel fine and I feel as fit as I ever have so we’ll just see what happens.’
Meanwhile, Leicester head coach Maresca – who took over the reins from Dean Smith last summer – said his players deserved enormous credit after a gruelling season in the second division.
‘It’s been a fantastic season, a tough season,’ the Italian said.
‘The Championship is very, very tough, a long season, very intense, but in the end we did it and we are very happy.
‘Now it’s time to enjoy. They work hard all season to bring this club back to the Premier League and now they deserve to enjoy.’
Monday’s dominant victory over Preston solidified the Foxes’ trajectory to match Tottenham’s record of 32 wins in a single second division season, a milestone achieved by Spurs in the distant 1919/20 campaign.
