Jamie Vardy shut down talk that he could be set to retire as Leicester sealed the Championship title with a 3-0 victory over Preston North End, insisting he is ‘not ready to hang the boots up yet’.
The 37-year-old striker – who is out of contract this summer – scored either side of half-time before Kasey McAteer put the icing on the cake with a close-range header in the 67th minute at Deepdale, sending Leicester’s away fans into raptures.
Leeds’ thumping 4-0 loss to QPR on Friday night had already confirmed Leicester’s immediate promotion back to the Premier League and Enzo Maresca’s men will look to cap off their memorable campaign at home to Blackburn this weekend.
Monday’s comprehensive defeat of Preston ensured the Foxes remain on course to equal Tottenham’s record of 32 wins for a single season in the second division, a feat Spurs managed way back in 1919/20.
Speaking to Sky Sports after his double against the Lilywhites, Vardy – considered one of the greatest players in Leicester’s history – paid tribute to the fans for remaining loyal in the wake of the club’s painful relegation from the top flight.
‘The season has gone quickly but it’s a graft! Not many days off, I’ll tell you that for nothing!’ the veteran forward said in his post-match interview.
‘The lads have given it their all. As you’ve seen us play, that’s like it is in training. It’s full throttle.
‘It’s thoroughly deserved and I’m just glad we’ve had 5,000 here tonight to come and celebrate with us.
‘The fans are massive. It’s not like it’s 20 minutes up the road. It’s a night game and to come out in those numbers, all still here now and wanting to celebrate.
‘If you let them, they’d be here on the pitch with us! It’s great to do it.
‘We can celebrate this tonight but now we’ve got another target which is 100 points on Saturday so we’ll make sure we celebrate that tonight and we’ll go again on Saturday where we get to celebrate with all the home fans.’
The former England international praised his team-mates for ‘taking in everything’ and being able to implement what Maresca had worked on in training across the campaign.
‘We’re obviously over the moon because that was the target at the start of the season,’ Vardy added.
‘But we knew it could have gone the other way if we’re honest as obviously we’ve only been together since July so you never know what’s going to happen.
‘The lads have taken in everything that the gaffer’s wanted, how he wants us to play, and listen to the fans now. It’s obviously worked.’
Before kick-off, Vardy made it clear he had no intention of quitting, with the attacker keen for another season in the Premier League – eight years on from the club’s unforgettable title-winning campaign.
‘Listen, I’m not ready to hang the boots up yet,’ Vardy said when quizzed on his future.
‘The legs feel fine and I feel as fit as I ever have so we’ll just see what happens.’
Meanwhile, Leicester head coach Maresca – who took over the reins from Dean Smith last summer – said his players deserved enormous credit after a gruelling season in the second division.
‘It’s been a fantastic season, a tough season,’ the Italian said.
‘The Championship is very, very tough, a long season, very intense, but in the end we did it and we are very happy.
‘Now it’s time to enjoy. They work hard all season to bring this club back to the Premier League and now they deserve to enjoy.’
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