England manager Gareth Southgate has given his support to Jamie Vardy after the striker revealed that he has been subject to death threats on a weekly basis.
The 30-year-old has been accused of being one of the players to have pushed for former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri to be sacked by the club last month, less than a year after guiding them to the Premier League title.
Vardy revealed that he and his family have been forced to put up with threats both online and in person as a result of the speculation, but Southgate is confident that it will not affect the striker's performances on the field.
"I can understand why he wanted to discuss it," Southgate told reporters.
"It's a very serious subject, we're very supportive of him and I know the club are. The authorities are well aware of what's going on. There's no problem with his focus on the game."
Vardy is part of the England squad that will face Germany and Lithuania this week.
Barney Corkhill
