Ranieri says Vardy rested not dropped

Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri insisted Jamie Vardy was rested rather than dropped against Crystal Palace.

The England forward was a substitute for Saturday’s 3-1 win against Palace and has now failed to score in his last 10 appearances for club and country.

Vardy, who scored 24 goals in last season’s title-winning campaign, came on as a second-half replacement as Ahmed Musa, Shinji Okazaki and Christian Fuchs wrapped up the Foxes’ first Premier League victory for more than a month.

Ranieri wanted to keep Vardy fresh as the Foxes juggle their Champions League campaign.

“It’s normal because we have to play so many matches,” Ranieri said.