AdminJamie Vardy has opened up on the difficult start to his Leicester City career, admitting he seriously considered asking for a return to Fleetwood Town after struggling to cope with the demands of Championship football.
Speaking to Gary Lineker on the Rest is Football podcast, the former Leicester striker reflected on the challenges he faced following his £1million move from Fleetwood in 2012.
After scoring just five goals in 29 appearances during his debut campaign, Vardy feared the step up had come too soon.
“It was more that first season for me,” said Vardy.
“In my eyes didn’t go as I’d planned. I thought it was just going to be, right, I’ve done it, well, I’ve done this previously so it’ll just now go into this.
“But you don’t realise how big a difference the physicality is, the pace of the game, what stamina you need fitness-wise and things like that.”
Vardy revealed he approached Nigel Pearson, Steve Walsh and the late Craig Shakespeare about the possibility of returning to Fleetwood on loan, believing it was the best move for his career at the time.
“But they said no, it’s not happening and that they had brought me here because ‘we believe in you’,” he explained.
The Leicester legend also paid tribute to Pearson’s man-management skills, insisting the former Foxes boss understood the mental and physical pressures players faced better than most managers in the modern game.
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