When Kelechi Iheanacho moved to Leicester City in the summer of 2017, one would have easily tipped the Nigerian to make a good impression in his debut season. But, that wasn’t the case as his appearances were extremely limited with the likes of Aguero, Dzeko and Gabriel Jesus ahead of him in the pecking order of Pep Guardiola’s revamp Manchester City side.
Iheanacho only spent one season at the Etihad under the managerial watch of Guardiola, who believes he was right to have allowed the forward turn a new lease elsewhere.
As the saying goes, every level has a new devil, Iheanacho’s move to Leicester City posed a mountainous task with the presence of the club’s reliable marksman, Jamie Vardy. But his compatriots – Wilfred Ndidi and Ahmed Musa helped him settle in easily. And the Englishman had also taken Iheanacho under his wing.
During his debut campaign, he scored eight goals, including back-to-back braces in the Emirates FA Cup and a stunning long-range strike against Tottenham Hotspur on the final day.
The start of the new year for the current campaign marked a significant turn in the striker’s career. Iheanacho’s blistering form saw him cart away awards, including bagging a contract extension.
He was also at the centre of things on Monday night as the Foxes saw off Crystal Palace 2-1 in a keenly contested premier League game.
Brendan Rodgers found a formidable pairing in Jamie Vardy and the Nigerian international.
The duo, who have been touted as one of the best strike partnerships currently in England, had not featured together until 28 February thanks to James Maddison’s injury and Rodger’s ability to improvise.
To cap it all, Nigeria’s Iheanacho has so far scored 14 goals in his last 14 appearances, as many as he managed in his previous 76 for Leicester.
