» "Iheanacho Is A Manchester City Star In Waiting" - Goal.com «

The 19-year-old Nigerian is no stranger to City fans but is
yet to receive a great deal of recognition elsewhere,
something which is sure to change in the coming weeks
and months
It's time to talk about Kelechi Iheanacho. Manchester City
fans know they have got a serious talent on their hands
and, soon enough, the rest of the world will know what all
the fuss is about.
The 19-year-old Nigerian, recruited after lighting up the
2013 Under-17 World Cup, only got his papers through last
February and spent time at Colombus Crew in the United
States and was even stationed out in Barcelona as work
permit issues dragged on. He was wowing City fans before
he was officially a City player - showing flashes on two
pre-season tours and impressing for the club's Elite
Development Squad - and moments like today feel a long
time coming.
After more than a year's worth of red tape, he has wasted
little time showing what he's capable of, but still he is far
from a household name
Just seconds into his second ever competitive senior
appearance, against Crystal Palace back in September, he
drifted into exactly the right area at exactly the right time
to score a vital, last-gasp winner for a team who had
established themselves as runaway favourites for the title.
Unfortunately for him, that fell the same day as Anthony
Martial made his first impression on English football,
coming off the bench to score a fairytale goal against
Liverpool on his first appearance for Manchester United.
Chelsea had lost to Everton that lunchtime as Jose
Mourinho's second spell at Stamford Bridge began to
unravel, leaving Iheanacho pushed off the back pages and
shunted towards the end of Match of the Day.
Wider exposure would have to wait. Until today, perhaps.
City boss Manuel Pellegrini has been criticised by many
fans for failing to give Iheanacho more first-team action,
even as Sergio Aguero and Wilfried Bony have missed out
through injury, meaning he has largely had to strut his stuff
in cup competitions or in late league cameos. It's hard to
say he could have done much more.
The youngster scored on his first senior start, against
Palace in the League Cup, and was - finally, in the eyes of
some - handed a full Premier League debut against
Norwich City in the next game at the end of October. That
was one opportunity he failed to grasp and found himself
limited to late substitute appearances, often when the
game was long lost, for the next 10 weeks: he did not start
another league match until January 16.
In that time another League Cup goal against Hull City
seemed to have fallen off the radar of the general football
conciousness, and he was very fortunately credited with
another dramatic winner, this time when Yaya Toure's shot
deflected off his back and looped into the Swansea net.
It was at Norwich City in the last round of the FA Cup
when he made it five goals in four starts with a cool effort
from the edge of the box, but that strike and an impressive
wider performance was limited to short internet highlights
for the majority of City fans, let alone neutrals, given the
FA Cup's limited television audience - and lack of illegal
streams - around the world.
He had linked up well with Aguero in a 4-4-2 that day but
the experiment was not particularly successful when
tested again in the league against Palace a fortnight ago.
On Saturday, though, he was chosen as the lead striker in a
4-2-3-1 shape and took full advantage. Just four minutes
in he bundled home a corner - another instinctive strike -
to put City ahead. Fabian Delph, the former Aston Villa
man, had a toy snake waved at him by a young boy as he
lined up the set-piece. Instant karma at work in the
Midlands.
If Iheanacho's first goal of the day was somewhat scrappy,
the second highlighted his huge confidence. Raheem
Sterling had looked set to take the penalty he had won
seconds earlier, but Kelechi took the ball - without
argument, seemingly - put it on the spot, stuttered his run-
up to fox Brad Guzan and then slotted the ball slightly to
the left of centre of goal. It was one of those penalties that
can look terrible if not done properly. But Iheanacho knows
what he's doing.
Clearly. Having been put through on goal thanks to a
dreadful back-pass, he advanced on Guzan from just inside
the Villa half, kept his cool, sized up the big American
stopper, picked his spot and rolled in his hat-trick.
The evidence is there. Playing up front is no easy task for
the best of strikers, let alone a 19-year-old, but he has
shown that he has what it takes to play the role. The
goals will speak for themselves but a fine cross-field
through ball to Jesus Navas, reminiscent of his assist for
Manu Garcia earlier in the season, was also sublime.
Iheanacho has scored in all three competitions in which he
has played this season and is set to be included in City's
Champions League squad when the squad list is re-
submitted on Tuesday.
With Wilfried Bony still a couple of weeks away from fitness
- and, frankly, having failed to convince - and Aguero
unlikely to play every single game from now until the end
of the season, Iheanacho is ready to take centre stage.
Given that his previous exploits - largely in the cup - have
failed to earn him recognition as one of the Premier
League's top propsects, if not one of the best young talents
in world football, a stellar showing in the FA Cup against
the worst Villa team in recent memory is unlikely to win
over a great deal of new followers.