Tuesday 24 November 2015 14:19, UK
Gary Neville says Jamie Vardy has had a "meteoric rise"over the last 12 months, but believes the biggest test is yet to come as Leicester City face Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City in the coming weeks.
The Sky Sports pundit was speaking on Monday Night Football after the Foxes went top of the Premier League table over the weekend.
Striker Vardy equaled Neville's former United team-mate Ruud van Nistelrooy's Premier League record of scoring in 10 successive matches when he was on target in Leicester's 3-0 victory at Newcastle on Saturday.
"It's been an incredible rise from non-league football right through to the Premier League but the biggest jump in some ways has been the meteoric rise in the last 12 months," Neville said.
"You've got to remember he only scored 20 goals in 63 appearances in the Championship so you weren't expecting it at the start of last season - for a striker to come into the Premier League and do what he's done.
"If you look at last season, the first 13 appearances saw one goal in 889 minutes, only 14 shots versus 41 this season. He was rash in front of goal and tried to grab at a lot of chances.
"However, by about February or March, you got to a point where you were looking at Jamie Vardy and you were seeing a big improvement happening.
"Leicester were improving as well and there was a moment in April at West Brom [Vardy scored a last-minute winner] that caught everybody's eye and certainly caught my eye. For someone who was playing on the left, as he was in a few games around that time, the speed, the strength and the raw ability was there."
Neville has become well acquainted with Vardy through the England set-up - the Leicester man getting his first call-up to the squad at the end of last season.
"Any player who plays up front in a Premier League team needs to catch the eye of the England coaching team and the reports that were coming through 12 months ago were that he was raw, a little bit erratic in front of goal but he was lightning quick and a bit of a handful," he said.
"His England call-up probably gave him a lot more confidence. He's come into this season and he's a completely different player in terms of that little bit of rawness. He was unpolished last season, you look at him now and he's a fantastic finisher."
However, the biggest test for the in-form striker now will come in the next few weeks as Leicester play some of the league's strongest teams, who will be well aware of his threat.
He was unpolished last season, you look at him now and he's a fantastic finisher.
"There are questions we have to ask moving forward about Vardy, because there's no way teams will be as bad as Newcastle's defence were on Saturday, particularly in these next six games which are tough. He's going to get marked tighter and he'll have less space.
"What you have to consider about certain players is: can they play in tight areas, can they play when it's quicker like five-a-side?
"Sometimes players like Jamie Vardy can become a little bit exposed because you always think of them running in behind but he's got a good touch, a much better touch than people give him credit for.
"I think he can play in tight areas but I think in the next few weeks against the top defences is where we'll really see whether he can adapt and adjust when other teams will give him a lot more respect than other teams are at the moment."
