Manchester City: Kelechi Iheanacho a revelation

Manchester City phenom Kelechi Iheanacho is, at only 19, a goal scoring machine. But should we buy into all the hype?

When it comes to talking about prospects, it’s easy to get a little carried away. He’s the latest thing, don’t you know? He’s got the goal scoring ability of Sergio Aguero, the skill of David Silva, the good looks of Kevin De Bruyne, the radio voice of Shaun Goater and, if all else fails, he’s better than Joe Hart in goal. OK so no player like that exists, as clearly nobody else sounds quite like the Goat on radio today.

Regardless, it’s easy to go a bit over the top when comparing a player that has limited exposure to the top flight. Such a scenario, however, isn’t the case with Kelechi Iheanacho. We’ve talked about the 19 year old Nigerian striker on many occasions in the past. It’s not a stretch to say he’s the most exciting player in the Elite Development Squad and perhaps even among the most thrilling in Manchester City today.

More from Man City Editorials

He scores goals, like a lot of goals. He may not have De Bruyne’s looks, but he’s scored 8 goals compared to the latter’s 12 in a mere 16 appearances compared to 31. Of those 16 appearances, he has played a mere 507 minutes of football. For those doing the math, that’s about a goal every 63 minutes. That’s pretty prolific, even for a striker.

Small sample size of course, but that’s all Manchester City have given Iheanacho to work with. When called upon he has generally delivered. Indeed, City haven’t lost a game that Iheanacho has played in. His 8 goals in all competitions this year mirror the 8 of the striker who normally starts in front of him, one Wilfried Bony, only, alas it took poor Bony 23 appearances to achieve such a mark. Regardless, Iheanacho’s record is undeniable and impressive by any metric or comparison, given his age. Precocious doesn’t even describe it.

Even still, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype. While Iheanacho’s goal scoring record is most impressive, it doesn’t actually tell the full story. His hat trick against Aston Villa, for example, came against a bottom of the table Villa team that I would have fancied my own chances having a go at. It thus seems, well, strange for Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini to come out with comments such as the following, as reported by BBC Sport:

"“Kelechi is a very good young player, We let Jovetic and Dzeko go because I see Kelechi every day and know what he can do. I am very happy.”"

I’m really not so sure about this at all. Iheanacho’s talent is undeniable, and he’s a star in the making, but I find it very difficult to fathom that two proven, solid Premier League players were allowed to walk because Kelechi was waiting in the wings. Seems both risky and just a little bit hasty. Doubtless Pellegrini would rather we forget his dropping Jovetic for Bony last year and letting fan favourite Dzeko go to Roma, both of which were controversial decisions that questionably didn’t pan out.

Either which way, Iheanacho, it seems, has arrived. In what capacity remains to be seen. Already the City line-up is bulging at the seams and that’s with injuries. Still it makes perfect sense to have another striker up front supporting an on-form Kun Aguero. Both have scored hat tricks for Manchester City this year and Kelechi’s assist on the fourth goal at Villa, for Raheem Sterling, shows he is just as capable a provider.

For now however, it seems Pellegrini will continue to keep Iheanacho on a short leash. Mixing up the starting 11 for cup games and the like may see him start, but he’s also a likely candidate for impact substitution, a role he has excelled at. Again, Iheanacho only really works with what he’s given, and he works well. His goal scoring record is the real deal and the excitement to see him a permanent name on the Manchester City line-up is swelling like wildfire at the Etihad. He even has his own chant. That’s how you know you’re in.

Next: Jesus Navas must step up for Manchester City

Pellegrini may spin the situation, but at least he’s right about one thing – the kid’s got talent. And the best part is he’s ours.