Vardy may not be risked at Tottenham

LEICESTER City will weigh up the risk of involving Jamie Vardy against Tottenham at the weekend as manager Brendan Rodgers said it was not enough for him to merely be able to get through 90 minutes, writes Jordan Blackwell.

Vardy made just his second start of the calendar year on Thursday night, playing an hour in the 1-1 draw with Roma.

While he started brightly, his influence waned and he was substituted for Kelechi Iheanacho, with City getting their equaliser shortly after.

Attention now turns to the weekend’s game with Tottenham Hotspur, and Vardy’s fitness will be considered.

It is a possibility he may not feature at all in order to be kept fresh for the second leg of the semifinal in Italy.

However, Rodgers also said it’s not simply a case of helping him rediscover his fitness after the best part of four months out with hamstring and knee trouble.

He needs to be able to perform to his best for a full match, otherwise he will be taken off.

“It’s not just about playing 90 minutes, you have to perform,” Rodgers said on his number nine.

“He might be ready to play 90 minutes, but if he’s not at the level, he will come off.

“It’s not just about the fitness, it’s about the performance. You have to perform well to play.

“For Jamie, it’s about giving him that chance from a fitness perspective to be able to perform to the highest level he can.

“He’s only been training a few days. I think he’s done amazing to get back.

“It’s ongoing. He’ll have to recover well now, and we’ll have to decide if it’s too much of a risk to involve him at the weekend, to start or to bring him into the game, or to keep him fresh for Thursday.”

Elsewhere, there is good news for City with Timothy Castagne getting the all-clear following a scan.

A clash of heads led to a dizzy spell that prompted the Belgian to be withdrawn after just 20 minutes of Thursday’s game.

Rodgers added: “We obviously had Timothy Castagne come off in the game. He clashed and had an issue with his eye. He has had a scan and everything is all clear, so that’s good.”