Jamie Vardy reveals Leicester training schedule means he doesn't practice shooting

Despite becoming the first Leicester player to pass the 20 goal barrier in a season since Gary Lineker 31 years ago, Vardy says he doesn't find time to practice finding the back of the net

Jamie Vardy slots the ball past Vito Mannone during Leicester's win over Sunderland (Getty)

Leicester City's Jamie Vardy had made the remarkable revelation that he doesn't get much time to practice his shooting because of the nature of the club's training schedule.

Vardy, became the first Leicester player to pass 20 goals in a season since Gary Lineker 31 years ago when he scored twice in the 2-0 defeat of Sunderland, said shooting drills occur at the start of the week, when manager Claudio Ranieri prefers players to take more rest.

Vardy said: “I don’t really get chance to practise that much on my finishing, because when we have shooting drills it is quite early in the week when the gaffer is wanting us to rest our legs. So normally when there is a bit of shooting, the gaffer tells me to go in! But I will keep doing that if it means I am saving them for the games."

Meanwhile, Leicester will avoid becoming the lowest-ranked team in the Champions League and secure top seed status alongside the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Juventus if Claudio Ranieri’s team secure the three victories required to be crowned Premier League champions.

With Jamie Vardy’s two second-half goals earning a 2-0 victory at Sunderland on Sunday, which moved Leicester to within nine points of the club’s first-ever domestic title, Ranieri’s team were later guaranteed Champions League qualification as a result of Manchester United’s 3-0 defeat at Tottenham.

Jamie Vardy celebrates with Leonardo Ulloa after scoring against Sunderland (Getty)

Having been absent from European competition since suffering a first round exit in the Uefa Cup at the hands of Red Star Belgrade at the start of the 2000-01 campaign, Leicester will enter next season’s Champions League as European novices in contrast to the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and United, who are all set to miss out on qualification via the Premier League table.

But while Ranieri’s team would be placed among the bottom seeds in the Champions League group stage draw should they fail to win the title this season -- opening up the prospect of a group of death against a selection of European heavyweights -- the Premier League champions are automatically guaranteed a place among the top eight seeds.

Since the start of last season, Uefa now hands top seed status to the champions of Europe’s eight strongest domestic leagues including the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1.

Vardy wheels away after scoring at the Stadium of Light (Getty)

As a result, Leicester would be placed alongside the champions of those leagues if they end this campaign as English champions.

Leicester have played in European competition on just three previous occasions and have failed to win a game in Europe since defeating Northern Irish outfit Glenavon in the preliminary round of the 1961-62 European Cup Winners’ Cup.