PUT IN THE VARD YARDS
Puel: We have to learn to win without Jamie
LEICESTER boss Claude Puel says the Foxes need to prove they can cope without Jamie Vardy.
The title-winning striker is struggling to shake off a groin injury in time to face Brighton today.
And Puel says his side must show they are not reliant on Vardy, whose pace up front was a crucial ingredient of Leicester thriving under previous bosses.
The Frenchman (right) said: “Jamie remains a valuable player for the team and squad.
“I want to keep him as a leader because he is a fantastic player and very important for us.
“But sometimes, when he is injured or he was sent off, we need to have a response around him and different possibilities.
“We have tried to develop all the team to bring their quality and I think for some games we can have a different response.
“We have a complete squad with quality and with good players at a good level with good experience.”
Puel dropped Vardy for last month’s home game against West Ham but was forced to introduce his talisman from the bench at halftime to remedy a poor display.
Vardy is battling to be fit for today’s scrap on the south coast after injuring his groin against Burnley in the wake of Leicester’s long journey to Thailand for the funeral of chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
Kelechi Iheanacho is on standby to deputise and Puel says he will take no chances with Vardy ahead of a hectic pre-Christmas period. “We will see what we can do with him,” said Puel.
“In December we have a lot of games. I would like to try to manage all my squad.
“It will be important to keep players fresh with a good desire and concentration.
“The last two games we had tiredness and travelled to Bangkok with all the emotion. “It was tough to prepare and tough for the players. If we have some little injuries we can understand why.”
Puel is also sweating on the fitness of playmaker James Maddison, who returned to training on Thursday after knee damage, and winger Rachid Ghezzal.
England centre-half Harry Maguire is still out with a knee injury and Jonny Evans fills in again.