Nigeria youth international, Kelechi Iheanacho, made his English Premier League debut for Manchester City in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Watford, africanFootball.com reports.
He replaced England international, Raheem Sterling, in the 89th minute of the match.
Iheanacho has been an unused substitute in Manchester City’s three previous games this season.
Last season, he played for City’s developmental team before he was granted a work permit.
English Premier League side, Manchester City, has assigned jersey numbers to its squad for the 2015 – 2016 season.
The former English champions confirmed that Nigeria youth international, Kelechi Iheanacho, will feature in the first team alongside top stars such as Sergio Aguero, Yayah Toure, David Silva and Samir Nasri, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.
Iheanacho has been assigned the number 72 shirt by Manchester City manager, Manuel Pellegrini.
He is expected to make his EPL debut against West Bromwich Albion on Monday.
Nigeria starlet, Kelechi Iheanacho, is still unsure of his status with the Manchester City first team in the 2015/16 season despite his blistering start in the club’s pre-season campaign.
Iheanacho was City’s most impressive performer in the Citizens’ opening day International Champions Cup victory over AS Roma in Melbourne, Australia, supersport.com reports.
The 18-year-old scored a superb goal and also provided an assist for new signing, Raheem Sterling, as the Italians were put to the sword.
Despite his undeniable potential, Iheanacho is still not sure if he will be thrown into the deep end in the new season.
“The manager (Manuel Pellegrini) has promised me nothing.
“He’s just told me to keep working hard every day. So as yet I don’t know what my chance is, but I pray that it will come soon,” supersport.com quoted Iheanacho as saying to Manchester Evening News.
Despite impressing against Roma, the Nigerian youngster featured for just 13 minutes against the most glamorous football club in the world – Real Madrid – in City’s second game of the tournament on Friday.
By the time Iheanacho came off the bench to replace Frenchman, Samir Nasri, Pellegrini men were already down by 1-4, and the scoreline stayed that way till the end.
Manchester City starlet, Kelechi Iheanacho, on Monday became the first Flying Eagles’ player to land in New Zealand, ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Oceania nation.
Injury stopped the Most Valuable Player of the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup from the recent African Youth Championship in Senegal, africanFootball.com reports.
Flying Eagles team secretary, Aliyu Auwal Ibrahim, confirmed the player’s arrival in Auckland.
“Iheanacho is already in Auckland and waiting for us,” he told africanFootball.com.
The main squad of 18 players will arrive Auckland on Tuesday afternoon before connecting to the match venue in New Plymouth.
The African champions will play Brazil, North Korea and Hungary in the tournament‘s Group E.
Taiwo Awoniyi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Kingsley Sokari and Moses Simon are the players Flying Eagles coach Manu Garba has picked to shine at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which begins next week.
Awoniyi’s goals helped the Flying Eagles to win the African Youth Championship in March, Iheanacho is firing again after injury, while Enyimba midfielder Sokari has broken into the first team and Moses Simon proved his worth by clinching the Belgian league championship with Gent.
“Right from the qualifiers, Taiwo Awoniyi has been very consistent and he has improved match after match. He is a player who gets into a scoring position better than any other player,” africanFootball.com quoted Garba as saying in an interview.
“I believe if he stayed calm, he will be one player who will do very, very well at the World Cup.
“There are some others like Kelechi Iheanacho, who was the best player at the last U-17 World Cup. If he was free of injury, he will hit very big as well.
“There is also Kingsley Sokari. If he listened very well and works very hard too, he will have a great World Cup.
“You cannot forget a player like Moses Simon, who has been fantastic in Belgium, he will be great.”
Garba is upbeat about the quality running through the Flying Eagles that he predicted the team to produce both the best player and top scorer at the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
“I believe the best player and highest scorer (of the World Cup) will come from my team,” he tipped.
Flying Eagles star, Kelechi Iheanacho, has been granted a work permit by the Home Office and will now represent Manchester City in official games as from next season, sl10.ng reports.
”Kelechi Iheanacho has been issued a work permit. The Home Office gave him the document because he is a special talent,” one of Iheanacho’s representatives told sl10.ng.
”Like I previously told you, Manchester City will not send him on loan. Plan A, B and C is for him to remain with the club next season.
Meanwhile, Iheanacho will fly straight to New Zealand instead of linking up with the Flying Eagles in Nürnberg, Germany, after failing to secure entry visa to the European nation.
”The club is still processing his visa to Germany. If that doesn’t work out, he’ll fly straight to New Zealand from England,” the player’s rep added.
The Nigeria Football Federation has granted permission to fellow strikers – Isaac Success of Granada and Gent’s Moses Simon to join the squad in New Zealand, and Iheanacho is set to follow suit at this point.
Flying Eagles Coach, Manu Garba, on Friday released his 21-man squad for the FIFA U-20 World Cup starting this month in New Zealand.
The list included Musa Muhammed, Kelechi Iheanacho, Taiwo Awoniyi and Granada forward Isaac Success, Goal reports.
The squad:
Goalkeepers: Joshua Enaholo (MFM FC); Dele Alampasu (Football College Academy); Olorunleke Ojo (Giwa FC).
Defenders: Musa Muhammed (FC Heart Academy); Mustapha Abdullahi (Spotlight FC); Zaharaddeen Bello (Dabo Babes Academy); Wilfred Ndidi (KRC Genk, Belgium); Izu Omego (Apapa Golden Stars); Chidiebere Nwakali (Manchester City, England).
Midfielders: Akinjide Idowu (Nigeria Young Academy); Ifeanyi Ifeanyi (Water FC); Kingsley Sokari (Enyimba FC); Ifeanyi Mathew (El-Kanemi Warriors); Musa Yahaya (Tottenham FC, England); Bernard Bulbwa (Esperance ST, Tunisia); Godwin Saviour (FC Sports) .
Forwards: Taiwo Awoniyi (Imperial Academy); Chidera Ezeh (FC Porto, Portugal); Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City, England); Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium); Success Isaac (Granada FC, Spain).
Nigeria starlet Kelechi Iheanacho has won the inaugural International Premier League Cup for Manchester City U-21 team, scoring the only goal in his team 1-0 victory over FC Porto on Friday night, africanFootball.com reports.
Benfica, Schalke, Celtic and Leicester City were the other teams involved in the competition.
Iheanacho, who is due to soon join Nigeria’s Flying Eagles at the training camp in Nurnberg, Germany, put the hosts ahead inside five minutes.
The Flying Eagles star lasted for 62 minutes before he was replaced.
This performance has further cleared doubts about his fitness ahead of the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
Iheanacho was first injured in November and then he received another injury in early March.
But he has since fully recovered to feature for both Manchester City U19s and U21s.
Former Nigeria midfielder, Garba Lawal, has disclosed that youngsters Kelechi Iheanacho and Isaac Success will play a big role in the Flying Eagles outing at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
The duo were not part of the team’s victorious outing at the African Youth Championship in Senegal and with Manu Garba’s side paired against five-time champions Brazil, Hungary and Korea DPR, the former Levski Sofia midfielder feels they are needed to fortify the squad.
“[Iheanacho and Success] have been in this squad since the Golden Eaglets days, so I think they will be a good addition to the squad despite missing the AYC,” Lawal told Goal.
“In football, you need everybody. Sometimes, you have cases of injuries and you need to make a good substitution. So I don’t think it will be a bad idea taking them to New Zealand whether they are starters or not.”
The U-20 World Cup title has eluded Nigeria since inception with the Flying Eagles losing in the final of 1989 (Saudi Arabia) and 2005 (Netherlands) editions as Lawal insists the team must be at its best to break the jinx.
“The U20 team has been doing great including coach Manu Garba and his crew. These are young lads that are eager to win trophies and achieve something,” he continued.
“We can only hope they continue in that stead and they should be reminded that the U-20 World Cup is a different ball game entirely from the African Youth Championship,” Lawal added.
Flying Eagles coach, Manu Garba, has described Kelechi Iheanacho’s return to full fitness as “good news” for his team, ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
The Nigeria U-20 coach spoke after Iheanacho played all 90 minutes and made a scoring comeback in Manchester City’s 1-2 loss to Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup, sl10.ng reports.
And he said the 18-year-old’s return is “good news” and a good development as the team continues its preparation for the U-20 World Cup.
“Kelechi’s return is good news for us,” he said. “It is a good development for our team and it is something we are happy about because he is an important player for us.
“I am happy that he is back and his teammates are too, so we have to wait until he comes and then we take it up from there,” Garba told sl10.ng.