The Birmingham City manager has spoken about his former England teammate Jamie Vardy before of Monday night’s Championship match at St Andrew’s.
Wayne Rooney should receive his wish that Leicester City’s trip to Birmingham does not become a “sideshow” due to the Wagathe Christie incident, with Blues manager Steve Bruce showing admiration for Jamie Vardy.
Rooney wants the focus of Monday night’s game at St Andrew’s to be on the 90 minutes of play, and the fact that Vardy has been ruled out with a knee injury should help. This should keep the legal squabble between the former England teammates’ spouses, Coleen and Rebekah, to a minimum.
Rooney remarked on Friday that he respected Vardy and expected him to continue making an impact for City as they battle for promotion this season, despite the fact that the number nine would turn 37 next month. He has six goals in the Championship this season, tying him for the league lead with Kieran Dewsbury-Hall.
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“The game is Birmingham City against Leicester,” Rooney remarked at a press conference on Friday. “In my opinion, Jamie Vardy is and has been a fantastic player for many years.” He’s a wonderful servant to Leicester.
“I played for England with him. I shared the field with many England players. It’s not someone I’ve ever had a relationship with outside of a training camp or a game. I have a lot of respect for Jamie Vardy; he’s a wonderful player who still has a lot to offer Leicester.
“What matters is that we are not dragged into a sideshow.” Everything that has happened in the past, which everyone is aware of, has been dealt with legally. My objective now is to concentrate on Birmingham and try to win the game.”
If Ipswich win Norwich on Saturday, City will be in second place, and Enzo Maresca’s team may have to struggle to regain first place. Meanwhile, Birmingham are seeking to win back-to-back games for the first time under Rooney and climb back into the top half of the table.
