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Tag: kelechi Iheanacho

  • Kelechi Iheanacho: i’m not in competition with vardy

    Kelechi Iheanacho: i’m not in competition with vardy

    Returning to England after saving Nigeria’s Super Eagles from defeat in the hands of Warriors of Zimbabwe in the World Cup Qualifying match last Sunday, the Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho has been talking about his relationship with club legend Jamie Vardy.

    Vardy is the all-time top scorer of the clubwith…

    Iheanacho said “It’s never a battlewith Jamie Vardy,” as both share the place in the starting line-up under Enzo Maresca.

    The City boss has shared the starting place as the sole striker between both Vardy and Iheanacho so far this season. ‘Kele’ was named in the line-up against Stoke City penultimate Saturday, and scored City’s first goal.

    He was replaced by Vardy in the second half, with the striker doubling City’s lead within minutes of entering the pitch. The goals mean that both players have scored four times in the Championship.

    Speaking to Leicester TV, Iheanacho was asked about the competition for places between him and Vardy. He was quick to put any assumption of any sort of rivalry over a starting place to bed.

    VARDY A LEGEND

    “Let me put that right, it’s never a battle with me and Jamie, he’s a legend in the game, he’s done a lot for this great club, so it’s never a battle for me and Jamie,” he said. “I’ve got absolute respect for him, he’s a legend as I’ve said before, so it’s never a battle.

    “If he plays, he scores, you know what he’s like. So, if I play, I do my bit. Me, Jamie, Patson (Daka), it’s never a battle, we are happy with where we are at the moment.”

    City have shared the goals around the team this season. Both strikers scoring in the same game is only a good thing, according to Iheanacho who highlighted the camaraderie between the forwards at the club.

    “It’s a great motivation for both of us. Everyone is happy at the moment with what we are doing,” he added.

    “We have a lot of strikers as well, me, Patson, Jamie and Tom Cannon. So it’s a lot, we are together, work together as a team and whoever plays gives his absolute best and gives his best for the football club.”

    Manager Enzo Maresca further explains Leicester City selection policy with Vardy and Iheanacho.

    Leicester City’s two leading strikers have shared the minutes this season, with Maresca tending to swap them over every Championship game, and rarely playing them together

    While City’s strongest 11 is becoming clearer by the week, there is a debate over who is the more effective player to lead the line, with Maresca regularly rotating. Vardy has started eight of the 15 Championship fixtures so far, with Iheanacho in the line-up for the other seven.

    In recent weeks, Maresca has tended to swap them over each match, but against Leeds, he started Vardy for the second straight game. It wasn’t the number nine’s best outing, and he could not find the space to make himself a threat, unable to register a shot and touching the ball just twice in the box.

    It is those qualities inside the penalty area that Maresca picks Vardy for, with Iheanacho the better option when he needs a striker to link play more. However, explaining his selection policy, the manager says that more often than not he just swaps them over no matter how his team intend to play.

    VARDY AND KELE COMPLETES EACH OTHER

    “Inside the box, Jamie is the best one and we cannot teach him anything,” Maresca said. “Probably we can improve him outside of the box, how to link.

    “Kele, he has to go on the other side. He is very good at linking, probably he needs to improve inside the box. They complete each other.

    “The reason why one is going to play and the other is not going to play is most of the time we use one and the next time we use the other one. Also it depends if they defend with a line of five, if we need to link a little bit more. It depends.”

    Read Also: Kelechi Iheanacho: FA Cup win will propel us 

    Although they do “complete” each other, they have not started together this season, with Maresca preferring to play just one striker at a time. For a few minutes late in the win over QPR, they were on the field together as City chased a winner, which came through Harry Winks. That’s not something Maresca is likely to do often. He says it upsets the balance of his team.

    “We used them together (against QPR) because the idea was to attack with six players against the line of five,” Maresca said. “It’s a matter of balance. When we use both of them, we need two holding midfielders. One of them is Harry, and the other one is Cesare (Casadei) or Kiernan (Dewsbury-Hall), or Wilf (Ndidi) or Kiernan.

    “Sometimes we take the decision to balance the situation. If we use Kele and Jamie together, probably we struggle to use Kiernan in the same game, because then we have just Harry as a holding midfielder. At the end it’s a matter of balance. But we try and consider using Kele and Jamie together, no doubt.”

    SUPER EAGLES 

    Iheanacho is faced with similar challenge in the Nigerian team. He often gets the starting shirt and other times start from the bench when playing for the Super Eagles.

    He came off the bench for the Super Eagles last Sunday as Zimbabwe held Nigeria to a one all score line.

    Iheanacho began Nigeria’s 1-1 FIFA World Cup African Qualifier draw with Zimbabwe as a substitute in Butare, the Super Eagles looking to build on their point gained against Lesotho last time out.

    However, Nigeria found themselves a goal down at the break with Walter Musona giving Zimbabwe the lead.

    Iheanacho was introduced to start the second half and was on hand to level in the fixture, scoring with a well-taken left-footed strike after 67 minutes.

    The match ending in a draw, Nigeria now have two points from two games and in third place on the log after Rwanda stopped South Africa 2-0 to move into second place. South Africa occupy the top spot with 4 points.

  • Iheanacho nets brace in Leicester City’s pre-season draw

    Kelechi Iheanacho scored both goals for Leicester City in their 2-2 stalemate with League One side Rotherham United in a pre-season game on Saturday.

    After ending his 11-month goal drought against Cambridge United on Tuesday, the forward continued with a brilliant performance at the New York Stadium.

    The 22-year-old Nigerian international put the Premier League side in front with his well-taken effort inside the area in the 11th minute.

    Read also: Iheanacho’s Leicester City ranked 40th best club in the world

    Carlton Morris brought the Millers back into contention with his 38th-minute strike before Iheanacho restored the lead for his side.

    The former Manchester City forward beat onrushing Rotherham goalkeeper Daniel Iversen before he left-footed his effort into the top corner in the 71st minute.

    Michael Ihiekwe then scored in the 81st minute to deny the King Power Stadium outfit victory in the encounter.

    Iheanaho will hope to replicate the performance for the Foxes when the 2019/20 season gets underway after failing to impress last term, which led to his omission from the Super Eagles’ Afcon squad. (Goal)

  • Iheanacho’s Leicester City ranked 40th best club in the world

     

    Kelechi Iheanacho’s Leicester City have been ranked the 40th best club in the world. The Premier league side, who also have Nigeria international Wilfred Ndidi in their must play squad took first from the back in the Global Club Soccer top 40 rankings by a team of football researchers on opinion pool site 538.

    The Foxes finished 9th on the log table last season with 52 points in 38 matches. It is safe to say it is different stokes for the two Eagles at the King Power Stadium. While Iheanacho who was dropped from the Super Eagles squad ahead of the ongoing Nations cup in Egypt was having little or no playing time compatriot Ndidi remained a regular for the club where they once stared alongside Algeria international Riyad Mahrez who has since moved over to Manchester city and who only last night stopped Nigeria from proceeding to the final of the Nations cup with his super strike at the last minute.

    Interestingly Iheanacho played for Manchester City between 2015 and 2017 scoring 12 goals in 46 appearances.

    Premier League defending Champions Manchester City topped the ranking with Champions league winners Liverpool occupying the third place behind Bundesliga Champions Bayern Munich while Barcelona and Chelsea round off the top five best clubs in the world.

    Manchester United however finished 34th in the world behind the likes of Young Boys, PAOK and Eibar.

    Football analysts at FiveThirtyEight came up with the system that saw Everton, who finished 12 points behind the Red Devils last season, eight places ahead in the table rankings.

    The football researchers produced a Soccer Power Index (SPI) that ranks teams by giving them an offensive and defensive rating.

    The ratings refer to the number of goals the team would be expected to score against an average team on a neutral field and a defensive rating that represents the number of goals they would be expected to concede.

    These ratings produce an SPI rating which gives a percentage of available points – a win is worth three, a draw worth one, and a loss worth none.

    Here are the Best 10 clubs according to the Ranking released Monday.

    1 – Manchester City

    2 – Bayern Munich

    3 – Liverpool

    4 – Barcelona

    5 – Chelsea

    6 – PSG

    7- Real Madrid

    8 – Atletico Madrid

    9 – Olympiacos

    10- Ajax

  • Egypt 2019: Rohr Drops Iheanacho, Ajayi

    Super Eagles head coach, Gernot Rohr has dropped Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho and Rottherham United player Semi Ajayi  for the Africa Cup of Nations which kicks off on June 21 in Egypt.

    Iheanacho who was part of the team for the qualifiers failed to make the final cut as a result of his lack of playing time with his club in England, while Ajayi who was player of the month for his English Championship side last season failed to measure in training. Indications that Rohr was going to drop Iheanacho who has also featured for premier league side, Manchester emerged yesterday when he was not featured for the friendly against Zimbabwe at the Stephen Keshi Stadium.

    Read Also: WOMEN WORLD CUP: I’m not under pressure to perform, says Oshoala

    All throughout last week, Rohr had hinted that only players that were in form would be make the 23-man squad for the tournament.

    The team will fly out later today from Asaba to Egypt on a chartered flight where they would set up a training base in Ismailia.

    On June 16 they face the Teranga Lions of Senegal in a friendly before their opening group game against Burundi on June 22 in Alexandria.

  • Iheanacho lacks confidence, says Rohr

    Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr said that Kelechi Iheanacho has changed his attitude to training and he is now working hard during sessions with the coaching staff.

    Before the Super Eagles’ win over Seychelles in March, Iheanacho was not one of the invited players, and was criticised by Rohr for not taking training seriously.

    At club level, the Leicester City attacker was limited to a bench role in the Premier League, where he made 21 substitute appearances in 30 games for the Foxes.

    After a couple of training sessions ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations later this month, Rohr assessed Iheanacho’s attitude to work but disclosed that he still lacks confidence during Thursday’s press conference.

    Read Also: Rohr’s whip for Iheanacho

    “Kelechi Iheanacho changed, he’s now much more quiet. He’s working seriously but he’s lacking confidence because he didn’t play so much,” Rohr told the media.

    ”I see that he’s not happy but we want to make him happy, but we cannot give the players gifts, there’s competition.

    ”We have a lot of wingers, we also have good center forwards now, we have three, so really we are lucky to have all these good players because the other countries are searching for strikers.”

  • Hopeful Kelechi Iheanacho hits Eagles camp in Asaba

     

    Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho joined the Super Eagles camp in Asaba on Monday for the last lap of the team’s preparation for the Nations cup in Egypt.  The former Manchester City ace who has been having minimal playing time with the Foxes will no doubt be hoping and praying to have a place in the team and thus have a chance to once again show that he is capable of making a difference.

    The 22 year old who joined the Leicester on a five year deal in August 2017 has for a long time been used as late substitute, sometimes playing just for few minutes to the end of matches.

    His fortune at the King Power Stadium in recent times is direct opposite of that of his compatriot and teammate Wilfred Ndidi who is not only a regular but enjoys the benefit of playing full 90 minutes most times. Kelechi who made over 46 appearances for Manchester city scoring 12 goals before joining Leicester, has made about 51 appearances for the Foxes with four goals to his credit.

    Despite what has been dubbed his limited playing chances at the King Power Stadium, some insist believe he still stands a good chance of proving himself adding that his invitation to the national team ahead the Nations cup should serve as another opportunity for him to make a statement on the pitch.

    An Impressive player while representing the country in the junior category especially at the FIFa U-17 World cup in 2013 where he won the Golden Ball award, kelechi made his senior debut as a substitute in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Swaziland in which Nigeria drew 0–0. His first start for the senior team was on 25 March 2016, a 1–1 draw with Egypt in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.

    Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has insisted that Kelechi needs to play more to have a chance of making the final team to Egypt. The Eagles are scheduled to play a shape up friendly with Zimbabwe June 8th at the Stephen Keshi Stadium with Kelechi and others all hoping to justify their inclusion in the squad.

     

     

     

  • Rohr’s whip for Iheanacho

    I’m a big fan of competent foreign coaches handling our senior national teams. This is not to disrespect the feats achieved by many Nigerian coaches, including Adegboye Onigbinde, the late Shauibu Amodu and the late Stephen Keshi. I have avoided mentioning age-grade coaches because of certain reservations, rightly or wrongly. I love Nigeria, so I won’t talk about the reservations. Foreign coaches’ selection processes are fair and they cannot be dictated to, having laid their cards on the table during their engagement. This isn’t to say that some Nigerian coaches don’t have some of these attributes.

    The biggest advantage foreign coaches have over their indigenous counterparts is the players’ vote of confidence for them and their change of attitude during the country’s matches. This trend didn’t start today. It predates this era. In fact, the Eagles’ ‘’mafia’’ decided who coaches the team. Clemens Westerhof began the process of crushing the cabals, forcing Nigerians to change their fixations about who should play and who shouldn’t. One had thought with some of former ex-internationals transiting into coaches, things would have improved. No way! Some of the obscene ‘sins’ committed by former coaches manifested during such internationals’ reign, including the accusations by one of them that he ran away from the job, because of juju in the camp.

    This ex-international complained about his failing health, which he attributed to some of his assistants. He banned them from putting their hands inside their pockets while talking to him. Ex-internationals’ relationship with top stars in the new generation has been unthinkable; most times they were close to punches. Other times, such ex-internationals stood their ground that those new stars won’t make their squads, even if they were the best or were scoring goals in the moon, like one former Eagles coach once said.

    Foreign managers in the Eagles have brought peace and stability, improving the quality of invited players. They were respected by their employers. They got what they wanted and upped the scale in terms of achievements. They visited our players in their clubs. They spoke to coaches to find out what the problems were. They established the right synergy between European clubs and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) chieftains pertaining to the release of our players for international competitions and friendly matches.

    Therefore, when Gernot Rohr reenergised the Eagles through their clubs, he went further to get those who didn’t have clubs new teams, which toughened them for the new challenge. Rohr ensured that Kelechi Iheanacho got fielded by Leicester City’s Claude Puel, who was eventually sacked. Puel did his friend’s bidding by increasing Iheanacho’s playing time, but the Nigerian couldn’t seize a first team, even when Jamie Vardy was injured.

    No doubt, Vardy is a good striker. He may not be flamboyant in his play nor is he a dribbler, but he uses his pace to outrun his markers just as his finishing is legendary – for his age. Rohr’s strong words to Iheanacho is coming at the right time. The Leicester star raised hopes since his Golden Eaglets days. With the new boys paraded first against Seychelles, then against the Pharaohs, pundits seem to appreciate why Rohr used the whip on Iheanacho.

    Rohr told the international media:  “I think he must be more professional. We’re not satisfied with his performances the last time he was with us.There’s a new coach at Leicester City and it will be an opportunity for Iheanacho to show during this international window that he wants to get back into the starting team of Leicester. Personally, I think it’s a good thing for him to stay back at his club to prove this.”

    Well said, Rohr. Iheanacho should accept the challenge by making the Foxes’ first team, even if it means benching the much older Vardy. Rohr has spent close to two years on the job. Nigerians will start demanding trophies and nothing will thrill the fans more than lifting the Africa Cup of Nations like the team did in 2013 in South Africa.

    The way the country’s U-23 Olympic Games side destroyed Libya on Monday to qualify for the last round of the U-23 AFCON competition with a game against Sudan, many have submitted that Iheanacho’s days in the Eagles are numbered. A few people hugged themselves during the game as the U-23 lads did incredible things with the ball on a turf that Eagles complained about in the course of beating Seychelles 3-1 inside the late Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, last Friday.

    Paul Onuachu offers the biggest threat to the team’s attacking options, comprising Odion Ighalo, Henry Onyekuru, Ahmed Musa and Iheanacho, who was dropped from the two games against Seychelles and Egypt. Onuachu’s height reminds fans of the late Rashidi Yekini. Yekini was muscular and could sprint with his height. Many described Yekini as ‘gangling’, but it appears Onuachu is the real ‘’gangling’’ striker whose speed gave him the space to hit that rocket-like shot, just under 20 seconds after the kickoff of Tuesday’s game against the Pharaohs. Onuachu’s goal separated both sides at dusk.

    Onuachu was quiet in the first game against Seychelles as a 72nd minute substitute, which made it difficult to judge his potential. But his early goal against the Egyptians, coupled with the way he shielded the ball in between markers and still made passes, showed that Nigerians could start celebrating the emergence of a new Yekini. In Africa, Yekini’s presence in Nigeria’s matches meant we hardly played barren draw games.

    As Onuachu bestrode the pitch on Tuesday, I searched for the right person to marshal Eagles’ attacking onslaughts. Such a person should be as clinical in front of the goal area as Nwankwo Kanu. The nearest player to that in the current setup is Alex Iwobi, only if he reduces his passes even inside the 18-metre box. Will anyone blame Iwobi for that attribute? No. Arsenal players like caressing the ball. Arsenal players are a beauty to watch when they are in their elements.  Did I hear you say Kanu played for Arsenal? Yes, Kanu did, but he started his game here in Nigeria, where shooting accurately in front of the goalpost when the chance beckons is the only way to win matches. Iwobi grew up with Gunners’ tip-tap soccer as a kid.

    I do not think Ighalo can function besides Onuachu. Ighalo is wasteful and could easily be muscled off the ball. African football is physical, with a lot of sprinting. I remember Ahmed Musa – I dreamt of goals. I played back images of Onuachu winning the ball and laying the pass for Musa. I can’t fathom how many people can outrun Musa.

    With young boys graduating from our age grade teams in the tow, it won’t be long that Nigeria will be talking about an Eagles side without John Mikel Obi, in spite of his experience. We might be looking at the Eagles playing in Egypt without recuperating Ogemyi Onazi, possibly John Ogu and a host of others who were at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. It will signpost the need for growth in the Eagles. How best can this be celebrated without products of the Golden Eaglets, Flying Eagles, CHAN Eagles and the U-23 Olympic Eagles, who shone like a million stars last week Monday, whipping Libya 4-0 inside the late Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba?+

    Going to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the debate centred on the Eagles’ first choice goalkeeper. The tournament settled that debate, with Rohr saying: “Uzoho is our number one goalkeeper, and it is unlike him to make such an error. I know his worth and won’t rush to condemn him over this error.”

    Rohr has defended Uzoho, over his howler against Seychelles, asserting that he remains the number one. “Mistakes are mistakes and they are what they are and can be committed by anybody,’’ the manager said.

    The other positives from the World Cup is the retention of goalkeepers Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Akpeyi, aside Rohr’s affirmation that no new players will make the team to Egypt. With a collection of 40 players to pick from, only an unserious manager will want to add to this list. Only 24 will be picked for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations holding from June 21 to July 19.

    What stands clearly is that the average age of our players to the 2019 AFCON will be lower than the group we took to the Mundial in Russia. It shows growth which is further reinforced by the NFF’s decision to keep Rohr, despite his tantrums. Nigeria was the second youngest team to the World Cup. A few of them who were naive in their display have grown, with such improved performance rubbing off on the others.

    Interestingly, Nwankwo Kanu appraised the Olympic Eagles’ outing against Libya. He said on Thursday:  “I was very impressed with the overall performance of the team on Monday. The boys re-enacted the spirit of the Dream Team and fought till the end, showing class over their opponents. Now it’s time for them to build on it and ensure they qualify for the tournament proper.

    “Again, Kelechi Nwakali showed his worth and dominated the midfield. I believe he has come of age and should be given a chance with the senior national team. The AFCON is just three months away, so we must select our best legs in the tournament.

    “Also, Chukwueze showed he has plenty to offer and the hat-trick boy, Osimhen also showed good promise. I believe the future remains bright for Nigerian football,” Kanu concluded.

    Thank you Papilo. I hope Rohr is reading this. Up Nigeria!

  • Uchegbulam: Iheanacho needs urgent help

    One of the unseen hands that was instrumental to the emergence of Kelechi Iheanacho at the national level, Mazi Amanze Uchegbulam, believes under-pressure Super Eagles and Leicester City’s striker Kelechi Iheanacho can regain back his fitness with a little bit of tinkering.

    Iheanacho has struggled for form with Leicester and has only scored once in 25 EPL matches in the on-going season. He has not scored in national team colours since scoring the opener in the 4-2 defeat of Argentina in a pre-Russia 2018 friendly match in November 2019 at the Krasnodar Stadium in Russia.

    “I think he (Iheanacho) must be more professional,” stated Super Eagles’ German coach Gernot Rohr on why he left out the 22-year-old striker for the double header against Seychelles and Egypt. “We’re not satisfied with his performances the last time he was with us.

    “There’s a new coach at Leicester City (Brendan Rodgers) and it (his omission) will be an opportunity for Iheanacho to show during this international window that he wants to get back into the starting team of Leicester.

    “Personally, I think it’s a good thing for him to stay back at his club to prove this.”

    Meanwhile, Uchegbulam is worried that the youngster has not been pulling his weight for club or country, adding that something urgent is needed to put his career on course.

    “There is no doubt that Kelechi needs help and it has to come fast because it would be so sad if he can’t fulfil his great potentiality,” Uchegbulam , former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) 1st  Vice President,  told The Nation.

    Uchegbulam said, Kelechi, apart from coming from his home state, has a special place in his heart after the fortuitous role he played in putting the career of the youngster on stream.

    He explained:  “I didn’t know Kelechi Iheanacho at the start when he was at Taiye Academy which is under my jurisdiction in the Imo State Football Association. He was in the Imo State’s U-13 that had a tournament in Abuja but somehow the sport council said they had no money to send the team to the championship in Abuja. My secretary brought this to my attention when the boys were crying because they won’t be able to go to Abuja for the championship and this was sometime around 2007.

    “The boys were so sure of themselves that they were going to win the championship and I had to cough out one hundred thousand naira to facilitate their trip and had to call Coach James Peter to fix their accommodation in Abuja.  The boys won the tournament and Kelechi was voted as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament and was the top scorer too. Four of them were later taken into the national Under-15 team and, eventually, he went to represent the country at the U-17 level and was even MVP when the Golden eaglets won the World Cup in the UAE, and from there he went to Manchester City.

    “So, I have this sense of pride to have contributed my part though remotely to Kelechi’s emergence and I think if not for that vista, who knows what would have happened to his career. Maybe he would have been walking the streets of Owerri without any breakthrough; so I’m happy for him because he wouldn’t have made it without that intervention because if not for that opportunity, his breakthrough would have been so swift.”

    Of course, getting to the top and remaining at the top is two different things and Uchegbulam in his fatherly wisdom has called on Iheanacho’s minders to come to his aid fast.

    “As we speak, Kelechi has not for once come to the Imo State FA to say ‘thank you’ for what we did for him to kick start his career and I feel disappointed about this,” noted the Imo FA Chairman.

    “I have confronted Taiye about this and I think they need to bring him closer to people who can advise him well; he needs guidance and support at this point.”

    Meanwhile, Uchegbulam has equally made a clarion call on the NFF ahead of the forthcoming 2019 Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Egypt in June as he canvassed for a functional technical committee to support Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr.

    Since his appointment in 2016, the Franco-German coach has worked sans inputs from the hitherto ‘powerful’ technical committee that usually scrutinises the workings of national team manager as was in the case when Nigeria won her last AFCON tittle under the late Stephen Keshi in 2013.

    He said: “I think we have a functional technical committee which is yet to be put in place in order for the Super Eagles to do well.

    “I like the maturity of Coach Gernot Rohr because I’ve had one or two discussions with him while I was still with CAF. Of course, he sounded mature and experienced; he has done well by bringing together a crop of young players which is very good for our football.

    “I think we have a good chance of going far at the 2019 AFCON but I still feel we need a functional technical team to assist him in one way or the other.

    “We need to have a pool of experienced coaches that can do a lot of espionage for the team especially at tournaments when he would be saddled with so much other responsibilities. Generally, we need a functional technical department and committee that would relate with coaches of all the national team,” he noted.

  • Ndidi, Iheanacho to get Kolo Toure touch at Leicester

     

    Super Eagles duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho are set to enjoy some professional pep talk from their African brother Kolo Toure after the Ivorian international joined Leicester City as Assistant Coach.

    The former Manchester City and Liverpool ace moved from Celtic alongside new Foxes manager Brendan Rogers.  The switch is coming just few days after Leicester City parted ways with former manager Claude Puel.

    Touré, won two premier league titles with Arsenal and Manchester City respectively, also won the African Cup of Nations with the Elephants in 2015 with over 100 caps for Ivory coast. The 37 year old will be bringing his wealth of experience to bear on the new job.

    With his retirement from international football only less than four years ago it is expected that his interactions with the two Nigerians and other players will be an instant connect as they will be on the same page.

    While Ndidi was a regular under former manager Puel, same cannot be said of Iheanacho who most times had to start from the bench with minimal playing time.

    Both players will be hoping to earn regular action as the duo of Rogers and Toure step in. The two Eagles in the pay roll of Leicester have made a combined 121 appearances for the Foxes since 2017 when they moved to King Power Stadium from Genk and Manchester City respectively.

  • Action packed 10 minutes for Iheanacho as Leicester fall 4-3

     

    Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho was as usual a late substitute for Leicester City on Saturday, playing for just 10 minutes which was however action packed.

    Iheanacho who came in as replacement for Danny Simpson in the 83rd minute had hardly played for five minutes when he got a bruised mouth from a header and goal attempt by teammate who had jumped to head the ball with intent to score but ended up heading Iheanacho’s jaw with produced instant bleeding.

    The clash did not however stop the Nigerian from continuing the match. He produced some shots in Leicester desperate last minutes move to remedy the situation after rampaging Wolves remained resolute in the seven goal thriller.

    Wolves hatrick hero Diogo Jota finally delivered the heart breaking master stroke within the three minutes of added time to hand Wolves a well-deserved 4-3 victory.

    It was equally a busy day for Leicester regular Wilfred Ndidi who worked round the clock but ended up bagging a yellow in the 58th minutes.

    Wolves had shot into the lead at the Molineux Stadium with Diogo Jota registering the first goal in the 4th minute Ryan Bennett increased the tally in the 12th minute before Demarai Gray reduced the tally.

    An own goal by Conor Coady put the score line at 2-2 after which the game turned into a ding-dong affair hitting the  3-3 goal mark  before Diogo Jota delivered the master stroke.