Medical team handed Jamie Vardy task as Leicester City linked with Bundesliga's fastest player

Jamie Vardy is battling to keep his season alive with the Leicester City striker not close to a return from injury.

The number nine has been dealing with a knee problem since the 1-0 win over Leeds a month ago, which was just his second game back from a long hamstring issue. But while it was expected he would now be close to a comeback, manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed he still has pain in his knee ligament.

The 35-year-old has been out on the training pitches at Seagrave and has been running, but he’s not able to strike a ball with ease. The medical team have been tasked with getting to the bottom of the issue.

“He’s not available,” Rodgers said when asked about Vardy ahead of the Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg against PSV Eindhoven on Thursday evening. “It’s hard to put a timeline on it. He can still feel pain in the knee. It’s just when he’s striking the ball there is an issue, so we have to try to get to the bottom of that." Read more from Rodgers on Vardy here.

Leicester City will have to be wary of winger Noni Madueke making his mark at the King Power Stadium amid the England Under-21 international’s links to the club.

Madueke could line up on PSV Eindhoven’s right flank for Thursday’s Europa Conference League quarter-final against City, having chosen to take an increasingly promising path of leaving the English academy system to get first-team football around Europe. Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham have been big hits at Borussia Dortmund, and after leaving Tottenham as a youngster, Madueke has now made his name at PSV.

He has a combined 31 goals and assists in 66 games for the Dutch giants, figures that appear to have caught City’s eye. It is understood that a new right winger is among