England manager Roy Hodgson has said Jamie Vardy “deserves” time off for his wedding, even though it means the striker will miss his country’s next game.
The Leicester City striker will get married earlier than planned, to ensure he won’t miss Euro 2016. But the timing of the big day means he will be forced to sit out the pre-tournament friendly against Australia.
Hodgson admitted Vardy’s place is not “under enormous threat”, after the 29-year-old scored the winner in the friendly victory over Turkey.
“We do have other players that we need to look at,” added the manager, who will be able to welcome back Manchester United forwards Wayne Rooney and Marcus Rashford after their FA Cup final exploits.
The BBC reports that Vardy, who was named Football Writers’ Player of the Year after helping Leicester to their first ever Premier League title, will tie the knot on Wednesday instead.
England take on Australia two days later, while Vardy will return for the final pre-tournament friendly, against Portugal on June 2.
Hodgson’s 26-man squad will be trimmed by three before that game, with the deadline for naming final 23-man squads coming up on May 31.
England begin their Euro 2016 campaign against Russia on June 11, with group games against Wales (June 16) and Slovakia (June 20) to follow.
