JAMIE VARDY is hoping to emulate Geoff Hurst – by transforming from also-ran to World Cup star.
Hurst capitalised on Jimmy Greaves’ injury during the 1966 World Cup to become the hero of the final.
Vardy is behind Harry Kane in the England pecking order but is ready to take his chance.
Asked if he has gained inspiration from Hurst and his situation, Leicester striker Vardy said: “You have got to. We all know we are a 23-man squad and we are all here for a reason.
“The gaffer has picked us because he thinks we are the best the country has got. So we are all here with the same mentality, all wanting to win, all wanting to play.
“Unfortunately, you cannot have that all of time – you can only have 11 players on the pitch at any one time.
“You just have to make sure you put in the pressure on the training field and if you get given a chance, take it.
“It goes way beyond that. It has been long but hopefully it will continue and just keep going.”
England face Tunisia in their first World Cup game on Monday.
Vardy added: “We are confident. We came here to win. We want to make sure we are here as winners.
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“We have all won things ourselves at our respected clubs and we want to take that onto the international stage now.
“We all know that on our day we can beat anyone and cause anyone problems so that is why we have got the confidence to think we can win it.
“Everything is going to be tough about the World Cup. The best teams in the world – they have qualified for a reason. But we are confident about how we can perform so we are looking forward to it.”
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