Allardyce has been Vardy fan for years

SAM ALLARDYCE has revealed he was advised to sign Jamie Vardy when he was West Ham boss and the player was at non-League Fleetwood — only to be beaten to his signature by Leicester City.

The new England manager told Vardy that Fleetwood’s then manager, Micky Mellon, had recommended him in 2012 but before Allardyce could follow up the suggestion, he had moved to Leicester.

Now they have the chance to work together, Vardy hopes the new era under Allardyce will help banish the humiliation of Euro 2016 and believes the manager is already bringing new hope to the England set-up.

‘When I first arrived for the squad, the manager told me a little story of when I was at Fleetwood and their manager was trying to get him to sign me at West Ham,’ said Vardy.

‘The good thing is the new manager wants to make it as much as if we were just at normal clubs. One of the main things is making it enjoyable.

‘The last thing you want is to make it harsh and gruelling so when you get called up again you’re thinking: “Oh, wow, I’ve got to go there.” If you make it enjoyable, you are definitely up for coming, very excited – but obviously you’ve got to be professional.’

Vardy says he took the Iceland defeat as badly as any fan. ‘It was heart-breaking. Every single one of us is a football fan as well. But we do have to move on and this is a new chapter with a new boss.’

Vardy will be encouraged by the inclusion of his Leicester team-mate Danny Drinkwater, who seems to have a sixth sense for locating Vardy’s runs.

‘It worked perfectly for us at Leicester, so why not for England? We know each other’s game inside-out and he knows there is a good chance that I’ll get on the end of his passes.’