'Top-class' Vardy fires up again under Van Nistelrooy

Jamie Vardy and Ruud van Nistelrooy embrace after Leicester's win over West Ham

With a 38th birthday coming up next month, it would not be inconceivable to think Jamie Vardy might show signs of slowing down.

Yet the arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy as Leicester boss has reignited the Foxes captain and, arguably, the club's greatest player.

Trailing to goals from Brighton's Tariq Lamptey and Yankuba Minteh with just four minutes left, Leicester were facing a first defeat in two games under their new manager.

But up stepped Vardy to halve the deficit, before turning provider in the first minute of added time to clinch a dramatic 2-2 comeback draw against the seventh-placed Seagulls.

In typical fashion, the former England international found space on the left of the box and looked set to bend a finish into the far corner until he spotted the supporting run of Bobby De Cordova-Reid, who calmly slotted home from close range.

Van Nistelrooy, a feared striker himself with goal-laden spells at PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Real Madrid and the Netherlands, saluted "top-class" Vardy.

"If you are on the scoresheet and make an assist, then you have to say this result would not be possible without him," he said.

"It's also the performance of the whole team, of course, that puts him in position. I enjoyed the whole sequence leading up to the goal and that's why, we as a team, we put him in a position there.

"That's why we want these players who can make the difference for us in position. Then Jamie had the awareness for that second goal, because I think you know with strikers, their eyes are focused on the goals."

Vardy had scored four times in 12 appearances under Steve Cooper, but the 37-year-old has now found the net twice in as many games, while providing the crucial assist for Decordova-Reid's equaliser against Brighton.

"To have the awareness to play the path to Bobby, pretty good skill, that was a brilliant moment, because so late in the game, 90th minute, on the top of my head," added Van Nistelrooy.

"And when you have the calmness and the composure to decide on these things, then that's absolute top class. We're happy that we have that.

"If you don't pass it, you have to score. I think he made sure that we were going to get that goal."

Van Nistelrooy knows he faces a tough battle in keeping the Foxes, currently 16th and five points off the relegation places, in the top flight.

But in Vardy, the Dutchman has someone who leads by example and often comes to the fore for his club when needed. He has 142 goals in his 10 Premier League seasons - and a clear desire to add to that tally.

Jamie Vardy won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2019/20