Former Leicester City striker advises Brendan Rodgers ahead of Leeds match

Patson Daka has started the previous two Premier League games for Leicester City ahead of Foxes legend Jamie Vardy, and he has scored in games against Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.

Former Leicester City and England star Emile Heskey have advised under-pressure boss Brendan Rodgers to reinstate Jamie Vardy to the Foxes’ starting line-up.

Patson Daka has started Leicester’s previous two Premier League outings ahead of club legend Vardy and recently netted in fixtures against Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.

However, with Leicester rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, Vardy’s pedigree could prove invaluable to City. The 35-year-old has been his club’s talisman since joining back in 2011, going on to score a total of 133 Premier League goals in 280 appearances.

And Heskey, who currently serves as head of football development for Leicester City Women, believes that Vardy’s all-round forward capabilities could prove more beneficial to Rodgers’ side.

He told gambling.com: “Jamie Vardy has been a great servant up front for Leicester City and he is missed when he is not playing because he gives you so much energy.

“He presses from the front and he’s the one that gives you an outlet as a defender or midfield because of the runs that he makes.

“Patson Daka is learning from watching Jamie Vardy, seeing the runs that he is making and he’s asking himself how can I involve that in my game?

“Daka has got a finish in him, you saw that in his flicked goal against Nottingham Forest recently. He’s always getting in the box, so it’s all about the other side of his game now like holding the ball up.

“I know from my time playing as a forward that they are always caning the striker for not holding the ball up, but there is nothing worse for the team when the ball is not being held up and it just keeps coming back.”

With Leicester welcoming Leeds United to the King Power Stadium on Thursday night, Heskey also suggested that rotating both strikers could prove beneficial to all parties, too.

“I don’t see why you wouldn’t stick with Vardy up front at the moment,” Heskey added. “But, there are options isn’t there? You can play one striker one week and the other one the next week to keep them both on their toes.

“I played until I was 38, so I know how difficult it is to play in the Premier League at that age, so there’s no reason you can’t rotate the two.”

Heskey made 147 appearances for Leicester in all competitions and scored 36 goals before joining Liverpool in 2000.

Former Leicester City striker advises Brendan Rodgers ahead of Leeds match

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