VARD YARDS
Villa boss Gerrard urges Foxes star to play for as long as he can and admits: I quit too early
STEVEN GERRARD has urged Jamie Vardy to keep his Premier League dream going as long as possible – after admitting that he called time too soon on his career.
Aston Villa’s boss said his side will today have to tame the threat of the veteran forward, who remains one of the deadliest in the top-flight.
Vardy, who turns 35 next month, is still riding high in the scoring stakes with nine to his credit this season.
Gerrard believes the former non-League ace should keep going as long as he can – and used his own experience of ending his Liverpool career at 35 as an example.
Gerrard said: “I don’t see any reason why Jamie will want to call it a day.
“The evidence suggests he’s in good shape and still producing at this level.
“For any player, the advice I would give is for them to play as long as they can – as long as they’re feeling good and they are producing.
“I was someone who very much missed it once I decided to stop.
“I called it a day in Los Angeles and, for me, it was a case of being away from the family.
“But the one small regret I have was not signing the extra year that was offered to me at Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers.
“I felt I was between a rock and a hard place. I wanted to stay and for the journey to continue and maybe, with hindsight, I should have signed the year’s extension.
“But at the same time I wasn’t starting as many games as I would have liked and Brendan was making it quite clear that my game-time was going to be more limited than I was used to.
“I wasn’t as excited as I had been, being a squad player as opposed to my previous role.
“So it was a combination of factors but the reason I called it a day in America was I didn’t want to stay for an extra year there and wanted to get back to my family.”
Gerrard did, in fact, face Vardy (below) on the pitch towards the end of his playing days at Liverpool, during a 2-2 draw at Anfield on New Year’s Day 2015, the England midfielder netting twice from the spot. That was the season before the Foxes’ fairytale titlewinning campaign, but Villa’s boss said he knew Vardy had the tools to make his mark.
Gerrard added: “You could see what Jamie had, even when he was working his way up through the leagues.
“The first time I saw him live I could see he had that burning pace, always looking to play off the shoulder and he’s a top-class finisher.
“He’s still got the hunger and mentality. He’s a big threat – we’ll need to keep a close eye on him.
“But he can go on from here, certainly, as long as he retains that mentality.”