Kelechi Iheanacho: Leicester striker has finally woken up – just in time to haunt Man City

Nigerian was once touted as Sergio Aguero’s successor and now has a chance to prove his quality, with his former club preparing to bid farewell to the Argentine

Leiceste's Kelechi Iheanacho was the Premier League’s player of the month for March (Getty Images)

Kelechi Iheanacho is in the form of his life and, for the first time, is thriving in his role on centre stage. The Leicester striker scored seven goals in four appearances in March, including a hat-trick against Sheffield United and a brace in knocking Manchester United out of the FA Cup, and on Friday received the Premier League’s player of the month award.

It was a moment that had been a long time coming for the 24-year-old, who is now in his sixth season of senior football in England but has always seemed to have been on the periphery of life at the top level. Continually a back-up option for his clubs, Iheanacho has so far had to make do with the limited opportunities he has been given; a 20-minute appearance from the bench here, a start in the fourth round of the FA Cup there.

Not only was Iheanacho’s yield of seven goals last month the best of his professional career, but it was also the first time that the Nigerian had started four matches in a row in the Premier League, such has been the struggle of playing second fiddle to Sergio Aguero at Manchester City and now Jamie Vardy at Leicester. Minutes and rhythm have understandably been hard to come by, but now he has found both.

As Iheanacho prepares to face his old side at the King Power stadium on Saturday evening, there is a certain irony that Iheanacho has struck this vein of form just as City begin to come to terms with Aguero’s impending exit. For a brief moment, a long time ago, the Nigerian was touted as a candidate to one day fill Aguero’s boots, such was his impact during his debut season at the club as an 18-year-old in 2015/16.

From scoring a 90th-minute winner against Crystal Palace with his first shot in the Premier League, to finishing the year with eight goals from just 12 attempts on target, Iheanacho’s remarkable efficiency in front of goal pointed to a bright future at the club. While still a teenager, he racked up 10 Premier League goals, boasted the best goals-per-minute ratio in Premier League history, and was seen as a part of City’s future.

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That never materialised, of course, and after the arrival of Gabriel Jesus during Guardiola’s first season at the club limited his playing time, City couldn’t possibly say no to a £25million offer from Leicester the following summer. The fact that a £50m buy-back clause was included as part of the deal pointed to the fact that Man City were reluctant to let go completely, but as the years passed, the buy-back clause quietly expired. By the time Iheanacho clocked up his 50th Premier League appearance for his new club in 2019, he had managed a return of just four league goals. Leicester might have settled for £5m at that point, let alone £50m.

But in the past four weeks Iheanacho has suddenly, and quite brilliantly, woken up. While he had at no point been frozen out under Brendan Rodgers, the 24-year-old has gradually emerged as a key player in Leicester’s season, starting with a 94th-minute winner against Brighton in the FA Cup in February. Injuries to Harvey Barnes and James Maddison forced his manager to change systems and play Iheanacho and Vardy together, and it’s all worked rather well.

Until last month, Iheanacho and Vardy had not started together all season but their partnership has maintained Leicester’s push for the Champions League and helped them into the FA semi-finals. Rather than positioning Iheanacho up front on his own, Rodgers has recognised that the striker can contribute in more subtle ways and has encouraged him to drop into pockets of space to combine with Vardy, who himself has benefited.

Fellow Leicester striker Jamie Vardy has benefited from Iheanacho’s fine form (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Iheanacho struck at Burnley and Brighton before he dovetailed superbly with Vardy in the 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United, as the Nigerian completed his first Premier League hat-trick with a confident low drive from long range. Two goals in the 3-1 win against Manchester United followed in his last match before the international break, with a meeting against his former team, and an unprecedented sixth consecutive start, set to come on Saturday.

“Amazing,” replied Guardiola when asked about Iheanacho’s form on Friday. “The quality was [always] there. He was a young player when he was here and I think with Gabriel we didn’t have enough space. He is a fantastic person, we had a good relationship, and I’m glad to see him playing well.”

The striker’s incredible efficiency has also returned, with his seven goals in March coming from just eight shots on target.

Iheanacho is certainly enjoying his moment, now he has to make it last.