OH NO! NOT YOU!

Hodgson’s leaky Palace need to face Vardy like they need a hole in the head

And when faltering Crystal Palace entertain high-flying Leicester today, after shipping 10 goals in two games, the Eagles manager will be anxious to find out whether Vardy will be let loose from the start.

As England coach, it was Hodgson who gave Vardy his first taste of international football. Last season’s Golden Boot winner could be unleashed from the bench this afternoon and Hodgson fears the 33- year- old has lost none of the dynamism which made him a title winner in 2016.

“Jamie hasn’t lost that as the years have gone by with his experience, and his confidence must be growing as each year he’s been heralded as one of the main men in that title win,” said Hodgson.

“He’s also near the top of the leaderboard when it comes to goalscoring and that’s why he’s such an important factor for Leicester City.

“He plays virtually every game, he’s very rarely injured and he’s lost nothing really from when I saw him play many years ago for Fleetwood before he moved to Leicester.

“The man I saw then is the man I see today. He deserves an awful lot of credit for his professionalism, his dedication and for being so sensible about the way he plays.

“He’s a player who makes the absolute most of what he’s good at.

“So you know when you play against Jamie there’s going to be problems, and you also know that if any chances come his way, he’s likely to score them. That’s an important factor.”

Hodgson refused to be drawn into a debate about Vardy’s premature retirement from Three Lions duty and whether he would be a viable option for England at the deferred Euro 2020 finals. He said: “I don’t think it’s right for club managers to get involved in what the national managers should or need to be doing.

“Gareth Southgate doesn’t need anyone to tell him what players are around and what those players can do.

“I’m pretty certain if he believes Jamie is a person he needs in his team, that will be up to him to try to persuade him to come out of retirement.”