Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca makes controversial Man United claim in Wayne Rooney snub

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has insisted that Leicester City veteran Jamie Vardy is the best English striker of all time, snubbing Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney and current England captain Harry Kane in the process.

Vardy's longevity in the game has been something to marvel at. He remains one of the quickest players in the Premier League and has racked up 194 goals in 474 appearances for the Foxes.

His England career was short lived but he did manage seven goals in 26 caps for the Three Lions. While he also won the Premier League with Leicester during their remarkable, record breaking season, his accomplishments probably pale in comparison to Rooney.

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Up until recently, he was England's all time record goalscorer. The United legend won five Premier Leagues, the Champions League, Club World Cup and a host of other domestic cup competitions with the Reds.

In 559 appearances for United, he managed 253 goals. Despite this, Maresca told journalists prior to today's lunchtime kick-off between his old club Leicester and Chelsea that Vardy is England's best striker ever.

Explaining his reasoning, Maresca said: "Vardy is fantastic and people don't realise how good he is. I know that England has been quite lucky with strikers, like Kane, Rooney and many others, but if you ask me he has been the best one.

"He can do many things, like run in behind and finish, but the best thing for me is his open mind. Last year, he changed the way he was playing by dropping in, linking the play and he still wants to learn.

"But of course, he still has the one thing that is most difficult to find, which is to score goals. He can be out for one week - without training - and play on Saturday or Sunday and he's the one who scores."

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