Jamie Vardy reveals his toughest opponent so far

Matt Stead

Jamie Vardy has revealed who the toughest Premier League central defender is that he has faced so far this season.

Leicester striker Vardy is the Premier League’s top goalscorer this term with 19 goals – three more than his closest rivals Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku.

Few defenders have been able to shackle the former non-league centre-forward but Vardy has named the defender who gave him the toughest time.

“On a personal level, Chris Smalling,” he told Betfair. “He’s always tight and always around you to stop you from doing your bit on the ball or getting turned.

“It makes it very difficult for you to bring your team-mates into the game as well.”

Even Smalling could not snuff out Vardy’s threat, with the England striker notching his record-breaking goal against United when he scored in his 11th consecutive Premier League game in November.