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Kelechi Iheanacho is not the right man to replace Jamie Vardy at Leicester City, according to former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey.
Iheanacho has struggled to make much impact at the King Power Stadium since his big money move from Manchester City in 2017.
The 23-year-old has scored a paltry nine goals in 81 league appearances for the Foxes.
Vardy on the other hand has scored more than 120 goals for Leicester City since linking up with the club in 2012.
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At 34, the Englishman is nearing the end of his career, and Heskey believes the former Premier League champions will have to look for a replacement for the prolific forward outside the club.
“When Vardy doesn’t play you see a difference in the way they play and effectiveness of them going forward,” Heskey told Premier League Productions.
“They haven’t quite found someone who could actually fill that gap and this is what they are going to be looking at. Can Iheanacho be that next player? I can’t see it so they have to go and get someone else.
“I don’t know if there are any youth players that can actually take up that mantle now and play them in certain games so they have to go and look out for a new Jamie Vardy”.
16 Comments
He said the truth , iheanacho is real big disappointment, I don’t know how he can improve?
Iheanacho seems to feel he has reached the peak of his career and surpassed his professional and financial ambitions. So extra motivation is more or less dead. The drive for competition has drastically ebbed.
As it is now, if he’s retired from the SE, he may not give a hoot. Keeping in shape may not be his concern. He may not even care about going to another club to spark life into his football. As long as the weekly dough keeps rolling in, it’s all well and good and everyone can keep their opinion to themselves.
I always say that iheanacho football career is long dead since the day Pellegrini sees him as a striker because of his scoring ability, but unfortunately people don’t see that! Tell me a young attacking player better than Iheanacho through out the whole world then? It’s disheartening how his career is fading away so fast. I hope he can make a decision to leave Leicester and join a club that will play him in his favorite position, even if it’s a championship club.
Ihenacho is one of the best strikers in the world if given time he will surely prove it. He can be better than Messi if given time and patients
Iheanacho is a fantastic striker with a bad ego,I saw it from his days at manchester city, he doesn’t build relationship on the field of play, he did it with Aguero in man city, and that started his downfall, as a striker he should learn to celebrate with his team mates when he scores especially with the assister, I watched an highlight where Onuachu polished the shoe of an assister.
If he continues in that way he will not get anywhere. Even Vardy celebrates with team mates when he scores
Fact!!!
Make all of una talk true and shame the devil, na old age dey worry the guy. Just compare him with Ndidi and tell me then be age mate? The guy don reach him peak when he was with Pellegrini at which time he should be about 25 years old
I don’t think is the issue of age. Let even say hypothetically that he is 34yrs of age. We have seen players that are older than that age and are still balling very well. In football you play a run of many games to gain confidence before you can be at the peak of your game. Any player who is lacking in confidence, even if you are messi or Ronaldo of this world you become a piece of shit.
It is hard to consider Emil Heskey’s comments in the article above as parti pris as Iheanacho did not press home the advantage of his goals scoring feat of last season.
Most of the time he either stood in for or formed a dynamic duo with Jamie Vardy last season, the output was crisp.
One had expecting Iheanacho to ratchet things up a notch this season but the curve has been a downward one leading to observers like Heskey questioning Iheanacho’s ability to take over Leicester’s goals scoring mantle from an aging albeit still vibrant Vardy.
‘I can’t see Iheanacho being the next Vardy’ was the drumbeat from the former England centre forward who himself wasn’t overly prolific in his playing days. Many England fans to this day believe Emil Heskey should never have acquired the number of caps he did for the Three Lions. They bemoan his deficient goal scoring predatory instinct.
As for Iheanacho, the numbers look worryingly grim.
After 10 games last season, the 2013 U-17 world cup winner had amassed 3 goals and 4 assists. With the same number of games thus far this season, he has a big fat zero (0) against his name for goals or assists.
Admittedly he is has played fewer minutes, nonetheless, the stats are gloomy.
Unconfirmed reports even hold that he is set to lose his place in the national team in favour of strikers winning critical acclaim for their goals scoring exploits in club football.
The like of Taiwo Awoniyi and Sadiq Umar have thrown their hat in the Super Eagles ring following consistent knockout club performances.
Iheanacho will need to get his striker’s form back on an even keel otherwise he runs the risk of seeing the season run away from him and his tenuous Super Eagles slot attenuate even further.
Addendum: Iheanacho’s goals and assists referenced above are restricted to league matches only. Cup competitions are excluded.
When a player like Iheanacho starts losing penalties….then there is fire even beyond the mountain. I’ve been insulted severally on this forum for not joining praise singers in declaring Iheanacho as better than Vardy, or for not sharing their racist sentiments that Rodgers isnt playing Kelechi just because he is not English. They fact that Vardy is still even a main part of LCFC discussions 3-4 years after Nacho joined LCFC shows something is still amiss.
He’s over stayed and plumbed the depths. But take nothing from Nacho, he still has it. Just need a change of environment and most importantly regular game time. Nacho like Isaac success hasn’t given half of the talent in him.
I ve said this from day one iheanacho is not a super Eagles material, the guy is not willing to improve. He doesn’t have the zeal to better himself, anyway his bank account is good in naira. I won’t be surprise if he retires early.
Iheanacho has struggled of late. But it was not always so. Not too long ago, he was in form, scoring goals in non-league games, but Rodgers would not put faith in him. An obvious option was to pair him with Vardy upfront. But Rodgers would rather start his English boys Barnes, Maddison, Albrighton, and Damarai Gray.
Granted, these boys are all good. But for me, Iheanacho had the edge, because of his international experience. Yet, Rodgers would always start these guys ahead of Iheanacho. So for me, Rodgers is partly to blame for this slump. He never afforded Iheanacho enough game time to build confidence.
Of course, Iheanacho himself must be held accountable. He has failed to CONSISTENTLY show the necessary motivation and desire, the fire in the belly, required to be a success at this level.
If someone like Declan Rice was a Leicester player, Ndidi will find himself on the bench, as good as he is. Ndidi is starting now because he is head and shoulders better than his competition, English and otherwise. Bring in a 3 Lions player, and e go dey like film. The English will favour theirs over others, if the talent level is equivalent or close. That is just the reality.
Iheanacho needs to borrow a page from Ndidi’s book. Show on the pitch that he is far better. Otherwise, long will he remain on the bench.
Time to leave that club nwanne
Nacho haven’t it any more. He is reported to have a net worth of over 20 million dollars. Why would he take his games serious in situations such as that ? The way he takes his paneity for the Nation & Club demonstrated his passion for the game have gone. He doesn’t care any more. He wants to return to his village with all those pretty girls flying around to suck his money before dumping him only to regret later in his life.