Claudio Ranieri: I’ll rest Jamie Vardy when time is right

Claudio Ranieri is ready to rest Jamie Vardy and hopes Leicester’s title rivals suffer a burnout.The Foxes boss would be prepared to give their 15-goal top scorer a break after he has played through injury and illness this season.

Vardy has shaken off a recent virus but has also played with a broken wrist and an ankle problem this season. He is set to start in today’s game against Bournemouth with Leicester second in the Premier League, but Ranieri will give the 28-year-old a breather soon.

He said: “Yes, when I think it’s the right moment to give him a rest I’ll give it to him. At the moment he doesn’t need one yet. Now it’s important to carry on with him.

“Jamie had a little problem for one or two months and of course he didn’t train every day. The last days he’s had a fever and he’s not 1005.

“This is another aspect, everyone is saying ‘top of the league, top of the league’ but we are running a lot. Now we must continue at this top level because when we put the other teams under pressure we are very dangerous but we have to run. We can continue at this level but one thing is to not be relegated and one thing is to be at the top of the league.”

Title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal face Champions League ties with Dynamo Kiev and Barcelona respectively when that competition resumes in February while City are also in the League Cup semi-final against Stoke.

Leicester only have the league and FA Cup to focus on and Ranieri wants the games to pile up on their competitors.

He added: “This is good for us because big teams play in a lot of competitions: the Champions League, the FA Cup, League Cup and Premier League. I want them to continue to win in the Champions League until the end.”

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has warned his defenders to be on red alert when they come up against the unique talents of Jamie Vardy, a player long on his radar.

“I was aware of him a few seasons ago (when I was) at Burnley and he first made his move to Leicester,” said Howe.

“It is a hard journey to make and you really do have to excel to be noticed to move and carry on that momentum. To succeed at this level is incredibly difficult and he deserved all of the plaudits for what he has done.”

Howe continued: “Jamie Vardy has unique strengths, he combines an incredible work ethic with real pace, determination, and fight to score his next goal.

“We handled him quite well here in the first game (in August) and our defenders will need to be alert because he is one of those players who only needs one chance to have an impact on the game.”

Howe feels Leicester’s remarkable progress under Ranieri is “no fluke”, the east Midlands club having been bottom of the Premier League heading into January 2015.

“Leicester have certainly been the surprise of the season, in terms of the positive aspect of being at the top of the league. They have been outstanding, they really have,” Howe said.

“They have a way of playing and a hard-working group of players, the attitude and commitment of their players in every game has been second to none and they have got match winners in their squad, so it is full credit to them, the players and coaching staff for what they have achieved so far this season.

“It is no fluke, they deserve to be where they are.”