Jamie Vardy has revealed he contemplated a quickfire return to Fleetwood on loan after his first season in a Leicester City shirt.
Vardy was speaking to Gary Lineker for the Rest is Football podcast when he discussed the difficulties adapting to life in the Championship following his £1m move from Fleetwood.
Vardy’s Initial Struggles at Leicester
The Leicester legend, now playing with Cremonese in Italy, hit five goals in 29 appearances in his first campaign which led him to consider a move back to the club that sold him.
“It was more that first season for me,” said Vardy.
“In my eyes didn’t go as I’d planned. I thought it was just going to be, right, I’ve done it, well, I’ve done this previously so it’ll just now go into this.
“But you don’t realise how big a difference the physicality is, the pace of the game, what stamina you need fitness-wise and things like that.
“I had to work hard.
Management Blocked Fleetwood Return
Vardy revealed how the management team of Nigel Pearson, Steve Walsh and the late Craig Shakespeare put a stop to his potential loan move.
They firmly believed he would go on to become one of the most formidable strikers in England.
“I remember saying to Nigel Pearson at the time, Steve Walsh, and Craig Shakespeare, God bless him, because I was struggling.
“But I knew I’d done it at Fleetwood. And I was like, look, it’s not working, I’ll go back on loan to Fleetwood because I know it works there.
“That’s how I had it thought in my head. But they said no, it’s not happening and that they had brought me here because ‘we believe in you’.
“They said we know that you can go on to bigger and better thing so it’s not happening. That summer was all about making sure I was fit as I could be when we went back.”
Pearson’s Influence
Speaking about Pearson’s influence, Vardy added: “He was massive.
“The main thing I always got from him is that he was a great manager, a great coach, but that he fully understood the human side, the mental side and the physical and mental strain it had on players.
“He had that down to a T, and he wasn’t stupid with it. He would say all of you are off tomorrow go spend it with your family, go spend it with your friends, you need a break.
“I don’t think a lot of managers get that nowadays.”