Pearson Hails 'Amazing' Vardy Rise

In 2012, Vardy was plying his trade at non-league Fleetwood Town. Now, having made his Barclays Premier League debut against Arsenal at the beginning of the season, he could become the first outfield City player since Academy graduate Emile Heskey’s appearance against Argentina in 2000 to play for England. 

Vardy has been instrumental in Leicester’s sensational run of six wins in their last eight games, pressing from the front to spark some high-intensity performances for his side. 

Pearson said: "I'm sure it is a surprise to a number of people - to Jamie as well as everyone else – but it is a reflection on his amazing rise over the last three years. 

"What is important for him is he enjoys it for what it is. It’s a recognition of a marked improvement of his own progress, but it also reflects very positively on him and his team-mates. 

“That’s something that can’t be underestimated. It is a testament to how we’ve approached the last couple of months in particular, or been able to turn performances into results. He's been a big part of that.” 

England manager Roy Hodgson could deploy the forward for his side’s UEFA European 2016 Championship Qualifier against Slovenia on 14 June, as well as the international fixture with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin a week earlier. 

And if given a chance, Pearson is hoping that Vardy will make the most of his call-up. The City boss added: “If you get an opportunity, you’ve got a bear in mind a lot of very good players sometimes don’t get this opportunity. Regardless of what other people think, for the individual involved it is about seizing the chance. 

"I’m very pleased for him and his team-mates because it reflects positively on them. Sometimes in life you need to make the most of opportunities when they come because you don’t know when the next one comes along. That’s really important. 

“He needs to think about the fact that he’s going to be given a positive experience. For him it’s about making the most of that opportunity. If he does well, they have a better chance of being reselected. That’s always the challenge for any player, whether it be club or for the national side.”