Jamie Vardy settling in Serie A but admits learning Italian is tough

Jamie Vardy has scored five goals in Serie A in 18 appearances and is settling into his new surroundings, but he says learning Italian has been difficult; he told reporters in October he would start lessons "as of next week".

"I only know the basics, good morning, thank you, numbers," he said. "But I’ll be taking lessons as of next week, so hopefully that will start the bringing on the language a bit more."

Vardy added he needs to keep up with his children learning the language: "I have to learn, as my kids are learning, and I can’t have them learning it before me, otherwise they’ll be taking the mickey out of me!"

On the pitch he contrasted the styles of England and Italy: "It’s more tactical and possession based in Serie A, you get to the Premier League and it’s all high intensity, fast paced, normally end to end. Here you have more time on the ball, you need to make sure you’re in the right positions."

He also reflected on the universality of the game: "At the end of the day, football is football, we just have to make sure we’re on it 100 per cent every week. It’s 11 against 11 every week, anyone can beat anyone, so as long as we’re fully on it, we know that we can pick up points no matter who we’re playing." He is due to begin those language lessons as he continues to settle in.

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