Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini says Jamie Vardy “would be…

Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini says Jamie Vardy “would be gold dust for a lot of Premier League teams” – and the type of player the Black Cats could use if they get promoted.

Gabbiadini told BBC Radio Newcastle: “He’s not going to demand the same contract that he’s on now.

“I think he got well rewarded for his loyalty to the club so I wouldn’t think he would be anywhere near the level he’s at at this stage.

“It’s reminiscent of Kevin Phillips who managed to avoid too many serious injuries and kept playing late on, and he had a number of clubs didn’t he?

“He wasn’t always anywhere near first on the starting list but players like that in a tight situation they just have that knowhow, the gumption in those tricky games where you’re doing everything except sticking the ball in the back of the net.”

Gabbiadini added: “We saw it with Jermain Defoe when he came late in his career to Sunderland.

“He was fantastic. He just had that knack of rolling defenders and balls went into him in the box – he just had the knowhow to manipulate that half a yard of space that you need to score.

“I think Vardy definitely falls into that [category]. He might not be able to run as quickly as some players but in that 18-yard area he’s dynamite.”

The 38-year-old would be a far cry from Sunderland’s model of signing young players to develop and sell for profit, but the striker’s age does not concern Gabbiadini.

“He’d bring the average age up but there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said.

“There’s nothing wrong with being 38 or 39 as a footballer. The only bit that’s wrong with it is that you’ve been a footballer for 22 years and you’re absolutely knackered. Your body is falling to bits.

“I was fitter, leaner, my body fat was lower at 35 than it was when I was 25 but my knees were knackered. That’s the only thing that stopped me playing.

“Age, the number doesn’t matter. It’s about what his body feels like and whether he’s still got that desire to do it. He was a late starter to the professional game wasn’t he?

“He didn’t have the intensity. He was working and playing as a part-time player. So there isn’t that intensity of being on the training ground every day of the week and the issues that causes.”