Leicester City experienced something they haven’t since 2012 versus Sheffield Wednesday - this will take some getting used to | OneFootball

The Foxes are dealing with the absence of a club legend at the start of this Championship season

Leicester City’s game against Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day of the Championship presented a unique scenario that hasn’t occurred for 13 years.

For the first time since 2012, someone other than Jamie Vardy donned the no.9 shirt for the Foxes, as they ran out 2-1 winners against Sheffield Wednesday at the King Power Stadium.

Vardy departed the club at the end of last season following the expiry of his contract, and while he has claimed he’s not yet retiring, he is yet to find a new club.

Nevertheless, the Foxes have had their first taste of adjusting to life without the modern-day legend.

Vardy made the no.9 his own at Leicester

Since the moment Vardy arrived at the club, yet to become the Premier League star he would go on to be, he has had the number all strikers want beneath their name: the no.9.

In the 13 seasons he played with that number on his back, he proved exactly why he deserved it, and then some.

In his beautifully rounded 500 games for the Foxes, he netted an equally satisfying 200 goals, his strikes crucial in Leicester’s unlikely 2015/16 Premier League triumph, their FA Cup win five years later, and the various European adventures Vardy’s goals helped to provide.

Even the likes of boyhood fan and ex-Foxes forward Gary Lineker may struggle to muscle Vardy off top spot as the most iconic no.9 the club has ever had.

Jordan Ayew has big boots to fill

Leicester’s game against the Owls was the first time anyone other than Vardy had worn the no.9 since Steve Howard in 2012.

The man who has been trusted with the task of taking over is former Crystal Palace man Jordan Ayew.

He signed for the Foxes at the beginning of last season for an initial fee of £5m, hoping to help the club remain in the Premier League.

That aim wasn’t met and the Foxes were relegated, but the 33-year-old did manage to notch a respectable five goals in an otherwise struggling side.

It’ll be interesting to see how Ayew fares in the second tier, having not played below the Premier League since the 2016/17 season with Aston Villa.

Ayew showed glimpses against Wednesday

Despite being more commonly known as a top-tier striker, Leicester handing Vardy’s old number to Ayew suggests the two parties have made a commitment to each other for the upcoming season.

And in the game against Wednesday, it was clear that that may be a valuable move.

Although the Ghana international failed to get on the scoresheet, he did create three chances, complete 94 percent of his passes, and hit an impressive five shots on target, almost half of the 13 the Foxes clocked altogether.

Ayew would need another decade at least to reach the impact of Vardy at Leicester, but if he can play a crucial role in getting the club back out of the Championship, the passing of the no.9 torch to him will have been a smart move.