Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy has been ruled out for a ‘few weeks’ due to a hernia issue.
The 34-year-old, who won the Premier League’s Golden Boot last season, is due to undergo an operation on the problem, which has been hampering him for some time.
A date has not been set for Vardy’s return to action, but Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers feels now is the right time for surgery to take place.
Why does it matter?
Vardy has been Leicester’s attacking spearhead for several seasons now and finished the last campaign as the Premier League’s top scorer after netting 23 times.
He has contributed 11 goals in the league this season, just two behind Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, and has helped Leicester to third in the table, only two points adrift of leaders Manchester United.
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It is also a blow to Fantasy Premier League managers. Vardy, who costs £10.1 million in the game, is the fifth-highest points scorer in the competition this season after earning 116 points.
What Leicester games will Vardy miss?
Foxes manager Rodgers has ruled Vardy out for the next ‘few weeks’, meaning he definitely sits out Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie away to Championship club Brentford.
Beyond that, Leicester are away to Everton in the Premier League on Wednesday, January 27 before welcoming Leeds to the King Power Stadium on Sunday, January 31.
Leicester tackle Fulham, Wolves and Liverpool in the early part of February, before meeting Slavia Prague in the Europa League last 32. A February 21 game away to Aston Villa could be a date when Vardy is ready to return to the Leicester team.
What’s been said?
Rodgers said: "Jamie Vardy will be out for a few weeks. As you know, we’ve been managing him over this last number of months, and he’s been absolutely fantastic.
"We have a window now that allows him to have a minor operation on his hernia and then he’ll be back within a few weeks. He’ll be out for that period.
"It’s one that doesn’t keep him out for too long, but it’s just a repair in and around that hernia area. It’s one we feel he can’t really put off much longer.
"We were hoping to do it a few weeks back, but this is a window where we can get it done and that will obviously leave him with a good part of the season where he can be really influential for us."