Quinn adamant Leicester didn’t miss Vardy

Leicester didn’t miss last season’s top scorer Jamie Vardy in their win over Crystal Palace, that’s according to pundit Niall Quinn.

Claudio Ranieri opted to leave Vardy on the bench in their clash with the Eagles despite having gone three Premier League games without a win.

It proved to be an inspired decision as a first Foxes goal for Ahmed Musa, alongside strikes from Shinji Okazaki and Christian Fuchs, ensured Leicester won 3-1.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Raneiri opted to start with Islam Slimani through the middle but former Man City and Sunderland striker Quinn said the Italian deserves credit for shuffling his pack following three games in seven days.

“There was no Vardy, but he wasn’t missed, I think Slimani was really good – he’s not going to make any headlines but he worked so hard and was involved in the first goal,” said Quinn.

“This means that the signings coming into the club are doing well. It freshens everything up and this result helps them get back on track in the Premier League.”

Slimani was brought in from Sporting Lisbon for a club record £28 million and the club also purchased Musa from CSKA Moscow.

Quinn’s fellow pundit and former Arsenal forward Alan Smith also praised Raneiri for getting his team selection right following last weekend’s dismantling at the hands of Chelsea.

“Ranieri will feel vindicated with his team selection, he got a little bit of stick for leaving players out against Chelsea and he made some changes, including leaving Vardy on the bench.

“But they got the result. There was an energy to Leicester’s play – a bit like last season.

“When you’re in the Champions League, you’ve got to use your squad. You need a quality squad. That’s what Ranieri did in the summer by bringing in more quality.”