KELECHI IHEANACHO: Rebirth of a shining superstar

Leicester City’s Nigeria International has been in a rich vein of form lately in the English Premier League though after some hiccups that stalled his development since he burst onto the scene as a teenage sensation at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the UAE.

Iheanacho

For Kelechi Iheanacho, Leicester City’s Nigeria international striker, this indeed is his season of rebirth with some cracking goals in the English Premier League ahead of forthcoming 2021 Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON) qualifiers with Benin Republic and Lesotho later in the month.

The 24-year-old had long been in scoring wilderness but the former FIFA U-17 World Cup winner seemed to have found his mojo with remarkable ease to bring back memories of his bright start.

Iheanacho was actually touted as Nigeria’s next soccer superstar following his electrifying performance at the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates where he finished the cadet’s competition as the Best Player and second-highest scorer with six goals and seven assists.

His hair-raising performance in the UAE sparked a bidding war between FC Porto and Manchester City but he eventually joined the latter’s academy in January 2014 with subsequent promotion to the first team in August 2015 under the tutelage of Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini.

With an encouraging debut season that saw him score 14 goals in 35 appearances under Pellegrini in the 2015-16 season, there were high expectation following his linkup with the then in- incoming Pep Guardiola with his solid reputation from Barcelona as transformer of talented youngsters to bonafide first-team players.

It seemed it was going to be like a marriage made in heaven between Guardiola and the talented Iheanacho but it turned out to be a disappointing sophomore season for the then 20-year-old Nigerian under the Spaniard. From being a useful backup under Pellegrini, Iheanacho saw his position further diminished with the 2017 winter arrival of Gabriel Jesus to Manchester City.

In total, he played 28 times with seven goals in only nine starts in all competitions in the 2016-17 season. The Nigerian knew a move away from the Etihad Stadium was imminent when Guardiola disclosed in the summer of 2017 that he had become surplus to requirements.

Thankfully, Leicester City came calling and 25 million Pounds Sterling was enough to prise him away from Man City on the 3rd August 2017. Though it took him a while to settle at the King Power Stadium, he was still able to finish his first season with the Foxes with eight goals from 28 matches in all competitions including four assists.

Yet, Iheanacho had his worst season as a professional player the following campaign as he scored only two goals from 35 matches. He subsequently lost his place in the Super Eagles and was omitted from the team’s 2019 AFCON squad as a result of his dipped form.

He was reportedly link to a possible exit from Leicester City after two seasons but the sack of the then manager, Claude Puel in February 2019 for Brendan Rodgers offered him a new ray of hope.

The 2019/2020 season was always going to make or mar his career at the top level and six months into it, he wasn’t making any progress until that fateful day on Sunday, December 2, 2019, when he came off the bench to grab an assist and the winner as Leicester City edged Everton 2-1 in the EPL.

That was quickly followed by a couple of goals and assists against Aston Villa (2), West Ham, and Bretford.

The Project Restart after the COVID-19 lockdown actually coincided with Iheanacho ‘s ‘Project Rebirth’ as he was always looking lively anytime he was called into action. He scored after he came off the bench at half-time in their 2-1 loss away at Everton. And with Leicester City running low on confidence after four games without a win since, it was the Nigeria international that broke the deadlock in their 3-0 home win against Crystal Palace.

In the 2019-20 season, he scored five league goals, his best return since he scored eight goals for Manchester City in the 2015/2016 season. He netted 10 goals and had four assists from 26 matches in all competitions. He was their best player in the League Cup semi-finals loss to Aston Villa last season and made an impact in key moments in the league where they eventually finished in the Europa League spot.

This season, the 24-year-old has not relented and Brendan Rodgers’ public adulation of him in recent interviews connotes a striker that has regained the trust of his coach.

Last week Sunday, he bagged his first EPL hat-trick for his sixth league goal of the season in their 5-0 victory of Sheffield United and it was actually his fifth goal in three successive matches this month.

“I’m delighted, I’m really happy today,” Iheanacho reflected, speaking to LCFC TV after his remarkable hat trick for the Foxes against The Blades. “I’ve been waiting for this day to come and I’m happy it came and I took my chances.

“I thank my team-mates, the gaffer, all the Leicester City staff, the owners for giving me the opportunity, and my team-mates for helping me keep going and get to this level. I’m really happy and delighted.”

He continued: “Hopefully, I will get more – more goals and more hat-tricks. I need to concentrate now on the performances.

“That’s the most important thing, improving myself in training, and improving in the things I don’t do better, so improving in all aspects, in all areas, in training, to improve game by game and hopefully they will keep coming and hopefully we’ll get to the top.”

With such commanding performances this month, the former youth International could be in the running for EPL Player for March for obvious reasons.

Last month, he scored the Foxes’ last-minute match- winner against Brighton in the FA Cup fifth-round tie. The goal sealed the Foxes’ spot in the quarter-final of the competition. Additionally, the Nigerian also made his mark in the Europa League where he scored three goals and had four assists from seven games he played before Leicester City were knocked out by Peter Olayinka’s Slavia Prague in the Round of 32.

It should be noted that Iheanacho benefited from the recent injury-enforced absence of main striker, Jamie Vardy and he used the opportunity to stabilise himself in the team.

Ahead of Sunday FA Cup quarter final game against Manchester United where the high flying striker netted twice to book a place I'm the semi final, LeicesterCity’s manager Brendan Rodgers spoke highly of the Nigeria international: “He was outstanding, not just in his goals, but his overall work-rate. He had a big responsibility today, in terms of dropping into the space, finding that pocket that was just on the back of the midfield, and I thought he did that very, very well.

“He’s a great guy. He deserved the three goals. He had one or two other opportunities, but we’re all delighted for him.”

Meanwhile, Iheanacho has already matched his 10 goals mark of last season from only 27 games and he is on the cusp of beating the 14 goals he plundered in his debut season with Manchester City during the 2015-16 season. That season remained his most productive season in Europe to date.

His improved performance also earned him a recall to the Super Eagles and his latest call-up is for the final two 2021 AFCON qualifiers against Benin Republic and Lesotho later in the month.

Now, all eyes on latest Foxes’ striking sensation…

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