Jamie Vardy to make another milestone and smash records in 2022/23

Last season was evidence that Brendan Rodgers is conscious of Vardy’s ever-increasing fragility, cautiously managing his minutes. A fit Jamie Vardy will convert more often than an overworked one, and if conditioned appropriately, there’s no reason he can’t reach 150 Premier League goals by the end of the next campaign. Even matching his worst Premier League tally for a season in seven years would still bump him onto 146.

One overlooked aspect of the Jamie Vardy story is how long his career at the top level could last. Take Wayne Rooney as an example: breaking through at 16 and suddenly playing 40 matches a season before finding himself in the MLS at just 32. Vardy hasn’t been exposed to the mental and physical toll that consistent pressure and output can have on a professional from such a young age and in theory could perform to a high standard into his late thirties.

If pace is beginning to desert him, it hasn’t been that telling, and certainly isn’t impacting on his ability to know where the goal is. The best players adapt to overcome their limitations as certain attributes begin to fail them, and Vardy is a proponent of that. The legs may hold him back slightly, but this is where the intelligence he possesses will bear fruit.