The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Iheanacho

  • Iheanacho pleased

    Iheanacho pleased

    Kelechi Iheanacho is pleased with his display in pre-season for Manchester City and reckons the Citizens are ready for their 2015/16 season.

    The 18-year-old netted his second goal in five pre-season appearances on Saturday as City went down 2-4 to VfB Stuttgart at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

    He had also scored against AS Roma in the International Champions Cup in Melbourne, Australia on July 21 and he took the time to assess his performances after the defeat to Stuttgart.

    “It was a tough game against a strong team (VfB Stuttgart) but we should not have lost because we are a good team full of quality players. However, this is football where you can win or lose,” the attacker told the club’s official Television channel, CityTV.

    On a personal level, Iheanacho revealed that he was satisfied with his showing and was prepared to take the next step in his football education.

    “For my goal (against Stuttgart), I composed myself to score. We needed more goals in the second half but could not score them.

    “I thank God for my performance in pre-season. We played six games and I played in five, scoring two goals and providing two assists. It’s a very good performance for me and I am happy with the performance,” he said.

    He concluded by looking ahead to City’s opening Premier League game of the 2015-16 season against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on August 10.

    “Despite the loss in Germany to Stuttgart, I think the team is ready for the first game (against West Brom),” he said.

    Iheanacho has been listed by City as one of seven senior strikers for the new season.

    The other six are Sergio Aguero, Wilfried Bony, Eden Dzeko, Jose Angel Pozo, Bersant Celina and Patrick Roberts.

  • Pellegrini heaps praises on Iheanacho

    Pellegrini heaps praises on Iheanacho

    Man City coach Manuel Pellegrini has hailed the performance of Kelechi Iheanacho in Tuesday’s win (via penalties) over Roma  at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

    The Flying Eagles midfielder got off the mark in pre-season with a goal in the 50th minute and was involved in Raheem Sterling’s debut goal in the third minute.

    In his post match comments, Pellegrini reserved special praise for Iheanacho and Spain youth – teamer Garcia.

    The Chilean manager said: “The big positive for me in this game was to see young players Kelechi Iheanacho and Manu Garcia – both of them just teenagers – have really good performances. ”

    Iheanacho has now scored 3 goals for the first team of Manchester City in unofficial games.

  • Pellegrini: Iheanacho is future of Nigerian football

    Pellegrini: Iheanacho is future of Nigerian football

    Kelechi Iheanacho is the future of Nigerian football. It is as simple and straightforward as that. The 18-year-old attacking midfielder has shown beyond any reasonable doubt the sort of talent he is. Blessed with an eye for a pass, packs a powerful shot and full of trickery. The 2015/2016 season is expected to be his breakout season and he has the pre-­-season tour of Australia to prove himself, not just with Manchester City, but also with the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

    ‘Nacho’s’ talent has never been in doubt. He was always set for great things and it is only a matter of time before he fulfils that big potential of his. A product of Nigeria’s U17 class of 2013, he was very instrumental in Nigeria winning that year’s FIFA U17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and it was no surprise he ended up as the tournament’s best player. He is touted to be the long term replacement for Augustine ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha in the Nigeria set-­-up but first he has to prove he can be the player everybody believes he can be.

    He is presently in Australia with City and started in their 2-­-0 win over Adelaide in their first pre-­- season game of the 2015/2016 season. Work permit and injuries delayed his introduction to the first team last season after an impressive pre-­-season in the United States, but is expected to feature in Manuel Pellegrini’s plans for the new season.

    “Manchester City will not send him on loan. Plan A, B and C is for him to remain with the club next season,” a City official told the Manchester Evening News in June.

    Even Pellegrini himself acknowledges how good the 18-­-year old is, and spoke of how good he can be in the future.

    “A very important player for us in the future,” Pellegrini was quoted in the Manchester Evening News.

    Pellegrini added: “It depends on the way he takes this profession, but I think he’s a good talent.”

     

    Key Strengths

    Iheanacho is a rare breed. Not the fastest of players, but he is blessed with a perfect close control. Besides being a traditional attacking midfielder, he can also play in a variety of positions in the attack. He has featured severally for the City youth teams as a wide attacker, a centre forward and as a second striker. Naturally a left-footer, he is quite comfortable with the ball on his right, and scores quite an awful lot of goals for a player who isn’t a natural centre forward.

     

    Statistics

    He has played nine games in FIFA competitions – the U17 and U20 World Cups and has scored six goals in those games an incredible average of 1.5 goals per game in those competitions!

    Due to injuries, he only featured five times for the Manchester City youth teams last season, and scored three goals, including a wonderful solo effort against rivals Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup – which is an average of 1.6 goals a game – and he also made two assists.

     

    Interested Clubs

    According to transfermarkt.com, Iheanacho has a contract with Manchester City until the summer of 2016, but no clubs have really made serious efforts to get him since he joined the former English champions. He was linked with Portuguese giants, FC Porto, before opting for City and he was almost sent on loan to MLS side, Columbus Crew, but injuries meant that didn’t happen.

     

    Quote:

    “I am working hard to keep myself fit and also to break into the first team. It is not going to be easy because there are a lot of international players in the first team so I just have to be patient and keep working hard,” he told Chris Oguguo for sl10.ng in June, 2014.

  • Why Iheanacho, Alampasu were dropped- Siasia

    Why Iheanacho, Alampasu were dropped- Siasia

    Dream Team VI handler Samson Siasia has told SportingLife that he dropped Manchester City midfielder Kelechi Iheanacho and goalkeeper Dele Alampasu because of their inability to meet the deadline given to all players invited for the camping exercise for the team’s all-important 2016 Olympics qualifying match against Congo.

    The coach said that discipline must be maintained if the team is to achieve the much expected successes people crave for. He also disclosed that the affected players are still very much part of the team and would be invited after the team’s match against Congo in Port-Harcourt.

    “I don’t think we need Kelechi Iheanacho in that disposition now. As soon as we qualify we will invite him to the team. It’s the people you know that can play to your instructions on how you want to play, those are the ones that are here now.

    ‘It will be too difficult for him come in now and fit into that pattern. When we qualify he is going to be a part of us. There is no way you can rule out a talented player like Kelechi, no you can’t rule him out of this team. It’s just that he can’t fit in if he comes now to join the team.

    “Kelechi had the chance to make this team but did not show up. When they had the break from their clubs, some players like Kehinde Olanrewaju who plays in Israel came all the way to join this team; Musa Yahaya who also plays in England like Kelechi came to show their face. I have also seen and spoken with others too but Kelechi did not show up. But he is still a part of this team anyway.

    “As regards the case of goalkeeper Dele Alampasu, he was dropped from the team because we had a deadline given to all players to report to camp and he did not meet up and that was it. Taiwo Awoniyi like Alampasu asked for permission and I told him if he fails to report on Friday, the deadline, he won’t make the team, the guy dropped whatever he was doing and reported but Alampasu did not.

    “So, why would only him (Alampasu) fail to meet the deadline? He said he was doing his International Passport but I expected him to report to camp first and then when the Passport is ready I would have permitted him to go and pick it up. I have told the players that if you want to be a part of this team you have to be disciplined. That is all”, Siasia emphasized.

  • Iheanacho wins Man City’s EDS Goal Of The Season

    Iheanacho wins Man City’s EDS Goal Of The Season

    Kelechi Iheanacho’s first goal in Manchester City’s 3 – 1 win over Manchester United has been voted the best goal scored by an academy player last season by the official website of Manchester City.

    Manchester City have posted on their official website the top ten eye – catching goals scored by the Elite Development Squad during the 2014 – 2015 season.

    And in number one position is Nigeria youth international Iheanacho, who netted in the 55th minute in the game staged at the Academy Stadium on May 23.

    The 18 – year  – old expertly turned his man in the center before slotting into the bottom corner. It was a goal of technique, skill and composure, mcfc.co.uk said.

    Iheanacho failed to take that form to the Under 20 World Cup, having fired blanks in the two matches he featured in during the tournament in New Zealand.

  • Siasia invites Iheanacho, Yahaya to Dream Team

    Siasia invites Iheanacho, Yahaya to Dream Team

    Sani Faisal, Lukmon Gilmore, Emmanuel Ammana, Tonbara Tiongoli, Freedom Omofonma, Uche Okeke and Gabriel Sunday were axed after Nigeria’s Under-23 national team forced Wikki Tourists to a 3 – 3 draw at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi on Saturday.

    Eight Flying Eagles stars will now beef up the squad, with Musa Mohammed, Taiwo Awoniyi, Kingsley Sokari, Saviour Godwin and Dele Alampasu expected to report to camp today.  The foreign – based contingent, Musa Yahaya, Kelechi Iheanacho and Moses Simon have been told to join the team two weeks before a first leg All Africa Games Qualifier against Congo.

    Siasia has also invited Sharks FC defender Chima Akas and Warri Wolves defender Semiu Laidi for the Under-23s’ get – together in Abuja.

  • Iheanacho: I want to be the best in the world

    Iheanacho: I want to be the best in the world

    Flying Eagles’ star Kelechi Iheanacho has said his biggest dream is to be crowned the best footballer in the world.

    Manchester City starlet Iheanacho, who only turned 18 last December, is in New Zealand with Nigeria for the FIFA U-20 World Cup and all eyes are on him after he was voted the MVP of the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

    Iheanacho has been the most popular Nigerian star for media interviews here in New Zealand and he revealed his biggest dream to FIFA TV.

    He declared: “I hope to continue to make progress in my career and one day be the best player in the world. I hope God will help me to achieve this. That’s my dream.”

    Iheanacho scored six goals as Nigeria won a record fourth U17 World Cup title in superb style two years ago and he said he wishes to surpass this with the U20s.

    “I am 100% ready to make an impact at this World Cup, even more than at the U17 World Cup,” he vowed.

    “We want to win something for Nigeria as a team, and I hope I can do good things for the team.”

    He added: “Most of the players were not available when we won the U17 World Cup two years ago, but they are now with us and we are a lot stronger than in 2013. We will go far in this tournament.

    “There is a lot to say about this team because we have a lot of potentials. We are individually talented.

    “We have to show our strength as a team, we have to show confidence, individual talent, what the coaches have taught us and everything that will give us the edge against all the countries who have qualified for this World Cup.

    “We have to fight to win this tournament by God’s grace.”

    He further said the U20 World Cup will be great opportunity to prove his worth at Manchester City, where he is yet to make his first-team debut.

    “This is a perfect opportunity to show Manchester City what I am capable of especially because I was injured for a couple of months,” he said.

    “I will work hard to make my club and my country proud at this World Cup.”

  • Iheanacho for Man City first team, says top official

    Iheanacho for Man City first team, says top official

    Nigeria U20 star Kelechi Iheanacho will be listed by Manchester City in next season’s first-team squad, according to the EPL club’s top recruitment boss.

    Gary Worthington, head of player recruitment at City and a former striker with Wrexham and Wigan Athletic, has exclusively informed AfricanFootball.com Iheanacho is in Manuel Pellegrini’s plans for the forthcoming season.

    “Kelechi is back scoring goals after his injury. After what he showed in recent games like that against Manchester United (U21s), he is very much part of the first-team plans for next season,” Worthington told AfricanFootball.com.

    The 18-year-old Iheanacho has already been granted a work permit in England under the special talent clause and has insisted he wishes to battle it out with City’s superstars like Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko for a spot in the first XI.

    AfricanFootball.com first reported that the Nigeria youngster has turned down a chance to go out on loan, insisting he would rather stay back at the Ettihad and fight to make the first team.

    “He refused to go on loan. He and his representatives have told City he would rather battle the likes of Aguero and Dzeko for a place in the first team,” revealed the source.

    Iheanacho has in the meantime reunited with the Flying Eagles ahead of the U20 World Cup in New Zealand after he joined them up in Auckland for Tuesday’s flight to New Plymouth, where Nigeria will play all their group games. Worthington told AfricanFootball.com he will be in New Zealand.

  • Manu: Iheanacho can replace Lampard

    Manu: Iheanacho can replace Lampard

    Head coach of the Flying Eagles, Manu Garba, has said Kelechi Iheanacho can fill the void created by the departure of Frank Lampard from Manchester City if given the chance.

    Manu, in a chat with SL10.ng before the team departed for Dubai en route to New Zealand for the Under-20 World Cup, said the 18-year-old has got very similar traits to the English Premier League legend.

    “To be honest I’m not surprised at his performances for Manchester City youth teams as I have said it before – he can play for any team in the world, as a matter of fact they will do well to use him as a replacement for Frank Lampard,” he told SL10.ng.

    “He shares similar style of play with the outgoing legend. They can both create and score goals from midfield with late runs into the 18-yard box hardly spotted by opposition defenders.”

    However, the coach advised Iheanacho to keep working hard, especially if he is included in the club’s pre-season activities ahead of next season.

  • Iheanacho fires World Cup warning

    Iheanacho fires World Cup warning

    •Scores brace in Man City’s 3-1 win over United

    Nigeria starlet Kelechi Iheanacho fired a serious warning to other teams at the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand after he fired a brace to help Manchester City U21s dump Manchester United 3-1.

    The World-Cup-bound forward scored the equaliser for the Patrick Viera-coached side in the 55th minute with a goal of individual brilliance after he turned his marker before he slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

    He completed his brace with his side’s third goal in the 80th minute, when he curled the ball perfectly into the top corner.

    He is to join Nigeria U-20 team, the Flying Eagles, in New Zealand on Tuesday.