When Jamie Vardy earned his first call-up to the England squad last May, he cancelled his wedding to join the national team.
Fast-forward a year, and once again Vardy’s planned wedding conflicts with England’s schedule, with the striker set to be married this Wednesday, just two days before the Three Lions face Australia in a friendly.
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Luckily for Vardy, England boss Roy Hodgson has given him some time off, excusing the Leicester star from Friday’s match to enjoy the occasion.
Speaking to the media, Hodgson said Vardy’s roster spot for EURO 2016 is not in doubt, allowing him to miss some time leading up to the tournament.
Yes, the public might think it odd.
The major reason was he had to cancel his wedding last year when I called him up. So it was more difficult for me than it would have been otherwise to complain about this week’s date. We also changed the time of our meeting-up. When Jamie planned the wedding he thought he’d get a week or 10 days off at the end of the season.
You’d have to ask him about the wedding but we know Jamie, we’re satisfied with him. I don’t think his place in the team, or the squad, is under enormous threat. And in some ways the competition for places has perked up because the Manchester United players join us.
Vardy had originally rescheduled his wedding for June, but then moved it up to May to avoid a conflict with the EUROs.
After finishing second in the Premier League with 24 goals this season, Vardy’s scoring form has carried over to the national team. In his three appearances for England in 2016, Vardy has three goals, including the game-winner against Turkey on Sunday.