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.