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Hodgson has selection headache in Vardy’s maiden tournament

PARIS: The days have gone since Roy Hodgson set up his team in a rigid 4-4-2 structure. Four years into his reign, Hodgson’s England can play in an adventurous 4-3-3

Published on: Jun 7, 2016, 08:27:23 IST
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PARIS: The days have gone since Roy Hodgson set up his team in a rigid 4-4-2 structure. Four years into his reign, Hodgson’s England can play in an adventurous 4-3-3 system featuring Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Dele Alli to worry defences.

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HT Image

Finding the right position for Wayne Rooney is perhaps the biggest dilemma for Hodgson after Kane and Vardy finished last season as the Premier League’s top scorers, with the latter winning the Premier League title with Leicester City.

A late bloomer, Vardy endured a slow first season in Leicester but changed the tide in his second season with the club. Netting 16 goals and being voted as Leicester City Player’s Player of the Year, he guided the team to Barclays Premier League promotion.

His high level of play earned him an England national team call-up and he went on to top that success by winning the championship title and earn a spot on the England bus to Euro 2016— his first major international tournament.

When speaking about his call-up to the national side in 2015, Vardy said, “I’ve been pinching myself every day since the squad was mentioned. A lot of hard work has gone into it, but it shows people what can happen.”

Now approaching his peak, Vardy finished as second highest scorer in the Premier League while also setting the record for most consecutive matches scored in when he notched up his 11th successive game with a goal against Manchester United in November 2015.

Vardy’s form is sure to give Roy Hodgson a hard time when it comes to picking his starting lineup against Russia in the opener.

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