When Kelechi Iheanacho scored his third goal for Leicester City in the 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United over the weekend, the left-footed forward dropped his head and blinked a few tears. It was an emotional response to the overwhelming joy that’s expected to deluge anyone that is bagging his first Premier League hat-trick and it, also, was a sign of relief and reassurance. He has indeed begun the rise to the peak that his talents predicted when he shattered record ceilings at the FIFA U-17 Youth Championship in 2013.
It took eight years and seven managers to get him to this point in his career. That is at least seven tactical tweaks and permutations to rekindle his dwindling spark into a burning flame.
In 2015, Manuel Pellegrini took chances on him and brought him into the Manchester City first team as an understudy for the mercurial Sergio Aguero.
He delivered 8 goals, displaying the gilded performances that had football-loving Nigerians salivating for more. However, that proved to be the threshold of his excellence.
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He failed to impress Pep Guardiola, Pellegrini’s replacement, and was sold to Leicester City for €25 million; a move that fueled optimism on quality playing time, which he didn’t get under Guardiola, smoothing out the inconsistency in his game.
Iheanacho balked under the weight of the exorbitant transfer fee as things looked bleaker. Craig Shakespeare couldn’t resuscitate him likewise Mike Appleton. He sputtered under Claude Puel but didn’t truly ignite.
Around this topsy-turvy period, Iheanacho’s relevance in the Super Eagles team began to wane. Iheanacho has failed to score for Nigeria in two years despite regular invitations. The crisis culminated in the striker totally missing out on Nigeria’s final squad for the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). This prompted Gernot Rohr, the team’s coach, to publicly question his seriousness and professionalism.
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It was at this nadir point, a rope was thrown into the slippery slope. The Foxes appointed Brendan Rogers — a former Liverpool manager with a pedigree for grounding out attackers with different skill sets into a blend of devastating attacking units. Like he did with Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling, and Daniel Sturridge in 2014, Rogers fostered a lethal partnership between Jamie Vardy and Iheanacho. Although, it has burned slowly; the telepathic partnership has begun to steam productivity.
Iheanacho struck against Burnley to keep Leicester City amidst Premier League leaders. The following game, he helped pip Brighton 2-1. On Sunday, he crowned his excellent run with a brilliant treble of goals at King Power stadium to reiterate his rebirth.
He also joined the illustrious list of Super Eagles stars to score PL hat-tricks — a list that includes just 4 others: Efan Ekoku, Peter Odemwingie, Kanu Nwankwo, and Yakubu Aiyegbeni.
Iheanacho’s 10 goals and 3 assists this season are the best return of his professional career, and the season is far from concluded.
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At the post-match interview, Iheanacho attributed his resurgence to renewed vigour and hard work, the traits that have been absent from his game and subsequently limiting his potential. It seems he has finally unlocked the ultimate ingredient that spices his performance to an elite level.
“Like 15 hat trick dey yard, I just commot one,” Iheanacho joked in a mock interview anchored by Wilfred Ndidi, his countryman and club teammate. Maybe it wasn’t a joke but a declaration from a player who has aligned his potential with his work rate and knows the magic he can conjure.
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