Manchester City: Kelechi Iheanacho worthy of Pep's faith
Manchester City will head into the Manchester derby without their star front Sergio Aguero, but isn’t this the perfect test for Kelechi Iheanacho to win over Pep?
After forcefully inserting his elbow into Winston Reid’s face, Manchester City‘s most valuable player, the Argentine Sergio Aguero, will be forced to spend the Manchester Derby (and two more matches) as a mere spectator.
It’s not a desirable situation for Pep Guardiola and his citizens. The first Premier League match up between his new toy, Manchester City, and Jose Mourinho’s mercenaries will be without one of the biggest stars of the city.
United will have their big-hitters in Zlatan and Paul Pogba, but Pep will have to get creative with Manchester City as to how he is going to cope without the Kun’s abilities.
Then again, he won’t really have to get that creative. Sitting right there is the electric 19 year old Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho. The lad is a ball of energy that has all of the raw skill as Aguero and this could be the perfect opportunity to get him some rare, honing experience to continue to convert that raw skill into a finished product.
Last season was Iheanacho’s maiden voyage with the big boys of England and he was, in a word, amazing. The young striker scored eight goals and added an assist in just 753 minutes of play. He started a mere seven games but made 19 substitute appearances.
More from We Are Hooligans
It’s not easy to gain much traction on the bench, coming on late, but clearly it did not bother Iheanacho at all.
Pep has already said that Iheanacho will play, but he did not indicate in what capacity. The best option is to not overthink this. You have a like-for-like switch and a hungry, passionate young striker ready to go. Don’t dilly with the false nine or dally with Nolito up front. There is no need to be cute.
Think back to the impact Marcus Rashford made at United last year. He had far less hype and far less established skill in the position but his hunger alone propelled him to a very successful season and it continues to propel him to that day.
Iheanacho is several steps ahead of Rashford and every ounce of him is ready to pass this test.
Having the faith of Pep is an earned resource and one that is vital to keep. Iheanacho can gain that trust in one fell swoop if given the chance in Aguero’s absence.