Claudio Ranieri jokes Leicester will bypass Jamie Vardy at Newcastle
Thursday 19 November 2015 15:42, UK
Leicester will confuse Newcastle this weekend by refusing to pass Jamie Vardy the ball, Claudio Ranieri has joked.
Vardy is back in training after missing England's recent friendlies with a hip injury, and the striker will pursue Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of scoring in 10 straight Premier League games if he is passed fit for Saturday.
Newcastle's Daryl Janmaat, sent off for a foul on Vardy back in May, says Newcastle will do all they can to prevent him matching the mark.
And Ranieri said: "It is natural. Everyone wants to stop Jamie Vardy - he is our goalscorer. Maybe we'll try to pass the ball to our other players."
Asked whether he expected the 28-year-old to play, Ranieri said: "I don't know. Today he trained a little, tomorrow I hope he'll continue to train and on Saturday I will choose.
"If he is fit, he will play. Every game he wants to play. I hope he is available. I speak every time with the doctor and the physio - if they say he is fit, 100 per cent, he will play. If not, he doesn't play.
"All my career, I don't risk a player if he's not fit, because I don't want to lose him for two or three months."
Vardy's hip problem is manageable and will not require an operation, and if he misses out against Newcastle he will have another chance to equal Van Nistelrooy when Manchester United come to the King Power Stadium next weekend.
Ranieri said: "Van Nistelrooy scored in two different seasons, at the end of one and the beginning of another.
"For me it's important he feels good, if he scores or not it's not my problem. I'm thinking about other things, I'm thinking about Newcastle, not penalties or records because it will be a tough match."
