Monday 21 December 2015 17:10, UK
Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has said that team-mate Jamie Vardy's success is 'completely deserved' after his record-breaking start to the season.
The England striker scored in 11 consecutive Premier League games to overtake Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of 10 and has helped fire the Foxes to the top of the table at Christmas.
Schmeichel and Vardy have been team-mates since the forward joined Leicester at the start of the 2012/13 season from then non-league Fleetwood Town - adding more fuel to his meteoric rise.
"It's completely deserved," the Denmark international said. "I've seen him now for the last three-and-a-half years working really, really hard every single day.
"In games, he works as hard as anybody in the Premier League or probably in the world.
"He sets our team off and sets the tone. It's no fluke the run he's been on. You get what you deserve and what you work for and he works harder than anybody you could imagine."
Vardy also made his international debut in June against the Republic of Ireland and has made four appearances since, although he is yet to score for England.
"It's not just his shooting, it's his movement, his desire to get into areas and to get into spaces. He plays on the shoulder of defenders and it's a dying art in football," Schmeichel added about why his team-mate has been so impressive.
"Football has become obsessed with possession and passing. What is great about Vards is he's shown that it's not necessary. If you've got pace and awareness of where you want the ball and where you want to go yourself, you're getting in positions behind defenders and that's what defenders want the least."
Claudio Ranieri's men have already picked up 38 points this season - losing just once to Arsenal in the Premier League - and are just three points away from their entire tally of 41 from last term.
Schmeichel added: "It feels good to be where we are. Being top of the table is something we've tried before in the Championship and it's not that different although the attention from the outside world is obviously a little bit higher now because it's the Premier League. It's the same sort of feeling in the dressing room at the moment.
"It's very important to maintain momentum but if you take 2015 as a calendar year, we've been consistently very good so for us it's just a case of keep doing what we're doing."
Kasper Schmeichel wears Precision Goalkeeping's Schmeichology 5 range designed by himself. Follow @PrecisionGK for more information.
