Claude Puel insists Jamie Vardy’s makeover can make him a Premier League force for years.

The Frenchman has been forced to deny a rift with Vardy this season and benched him for the 3-1 defeat at Tottenham.

Vardy has claimed this season that Puel’s tactics do not suit him but said he was prepared to adapt. 

Claude Puel believes Jamie Vardy can prolong his career by adapting to his methods

The former England international is expected to return to the starting line up for Saturday’s visit of Crystal Palace and Puel feels Vardy appreciates what he is trying to do in prolonging his career.

He said: ‘From what I can see this week, I think he understands. He was very interested in the training session with good moves, good runs, good quality.

‘I would like him to continue this way. For me it’s the secret to continuing at a high level.

Puel is set to reinstate Vardy in Leicester’s starting lineup against Crystal Palace

‘I have a lot of patience – I’m an optimist. All players continue to work and improve until the end career. If a player stops learning and improving it’s the beginning of the end for me.

‘Jamie has the potential to continue for a long time. He likes football and it’s important he continues to improve.

‘He has the quality to combine with his team-mates and to learn good moves in the opponent’s box.’

Vardy came off the bench to score in the defeat at Wembley, after missing a penalty with his first touch.

Vardy has scored eight goals in 24 appearances for Leicester so far this campaign

He has netted eight goals in 24 games this season, taking his tally to 26 strikes in 16 months under Puel, more than any other Leicester player.

Puel added: ‘Jamie, he played a lot of games on counter-attack. When we play against a team deep on the pitch he can’t have this space, he needs to learn, like his teammates, different moves.

‘Against United he had two or three situations like this in far post but he must create this move for himself. It’s a different feeling, different things,

‘He’s learned. He was interested in training this week he scored a great goal against Tottenham in this move.’

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino says his side have had nothing to prove in the way they have coped without star striker Harry Kane.

Kane has missed the last seven games with an ankle injury, but Spurs have, in the main, coped admirably in his absence.

They were knocked out of both domestic cup competitions in the space of four days, but won all four of their Premier League games to climb back into the title race and dismantled Borussia Dortmund 3-0 to put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Tottenham have received a major boost as star man Harry Kane returned to first-team training

Mauricio Pochettino says his side have had nothing to prove in the striker’s abscence

Spurs have relied heavily on Kane’s goals in the past, leading to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola once referring to them as the ‘Harry Kane team’, although the Spaniard insisted that was meant as a compliment to the striker rather than the interpretation they were a one-man team.

While questions were asked about how Spurs would fare in their main man’s absence, which should come to an end against Burnley on Saturday, Pochettino is adamant his side have never been over-reliant on Kane.

‘Only one person said that… he was over the moon, very happy after he beat Chelsea,’ Pochettino said, referring to Guardiola’s 2017 comment.

‘I never believed that (we were the Harry Kane team) and I’m never going to believe that.

‘I think Harry Kane is one of the most important players for us and he’s one of the best strikers in the world. But football is about the collective, the squad.

Kane was seen taking part in a number of exercises with his team-mates on Wednesday

‘I don’t believe that we’ve proved anything without Harry Kane.

‘I always want to have Harry Kane with me. We can win or lose with or without Harry, with one player or another player.’

It really has been a team effort in Kane’s absence as Fernando Llorente and Son Heung-min in particular have produced seven goals between them.

Pochettino has always believed in the importance of cultivating a team ethic and gets frustrated when the focus is on individuals.

‘Sometimes there’s too much focus on, ‘without him, now the team is dead’, or, ‘with him, we’re going to win the World Cup’, Pochettino added of Kane.

Tottnenham have, in the main, coped admirably while Kane has been on the sidelines

‘It’s not like this. You need your team-mates, the team, the squad that’s training every day.

‘The players pushing to be better. There are a lot of aspects that are so important but the people only see who scores or who’s in goal saving a penalty.

‘Sometimes it’s very frustrating for us.

‘It’s so unfair that the perception is different to what we see.

‘We try always to provide the best balance to the squad – to make everyone happy. It’s so difficult to make everyone happy.’