Jamie Vardy played without cast for Leicester’s Champions League clash with Brugge

JAMIE VARDY'S arm guard was one of the biggest mysteries in last season's Premier League - but the striker's decision to bin in tonight paid off as they brushed aside Club Brugge.

Fans have been wondering tonight why he all of a sudden stopped wearing it tonight in the historic 3-0 Champions League victory in Belgium in the club's first ever game in the tournament.

On Saturday he wore it as usual, scoring his second of the season as Claudio Ranieri's Foxes lost 4-1 to Liverpool at Anfield.

But the answer could be down to a mix of timing and superstition.

He has worn the arm protection ever since he fractured three bones in his arm exactly a year ago yesterday in the 3-2 home victory against Aston Villa, where he scored in the 82nd minute.

It was the start of a magnificent title-winning season for Leicester during which he scored 22 goals, so 366 days later taking it off could be a symbolic way of letting it go.

But the story of how he got said injury in the first place goes back to when he was a much less prolific forward playing for Leicester in the season they won the Championship title.

According to the ,  when during a day out in Blackpool, he decided to have a go on one of the punching machines in one of the seaside town's many arcades.

He went in too hard in his typical full-blooded style, hitting the backboard and breaking a bone in his right hand.

The injury was aggravated during the Villa game and the striker strapped up his wrist from then on to protect it - having been told he must have it ion the same colour as his kit, hence why he had a white one when playing for England at Euro 2016.

But he obviously saw fit to go without his trusty bandage tonight and was constantly a threat to Brugge in behind, his raw pace drawing fouls for both of Riyad Mahrez's goals ,a free-kick and a penalty.

Earlier, Marc Albrighton had the honour of scoring the Foxes’ first-ever goal in Europe’s top competition as he slid in to convert a long throw after just five minutes.