Super Eagles attacker, Kelechi Iheanacho has been rated as Leicester City’s most effective substitute so far in the 2019/20 Premier League season which is set to restart on Wednesday, June 17.
According to leicestermercury.com, the Nigeria international has been at his best whenever he played a cameo role for the Foxes in the EPL, becoming the most effective sub at Leicester this term.
The website wrote: “Where Leicester City lead the way and the rule change that could help them further. Football’s law-making governing body, IFAB have temporarily increased the number of substitutes permitted to five because of busy league schedules amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This season, no club has seen players from the bench provide more goals and assists than Leicester City. A total of 12 goals have either been scored or assisted by City substitutes, three more than the next best side, Manchester City.
“It’s a statistic that demonstrates both Leicester’s strength in depth and Brendan Rodgers’ tactical shrewdness and two extra substitutes give the club and the manager further opportunities to show their superiority in this area.
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“Leicester City’s most effective substitute this season has been Kelechi Iheanacho. With a goal and two assists from the bench, Iheanacho is City’s leader in this regard.”
With a potential for 12 games in 42 days when City return, given a possible FA Cup run, rotating the squad will be significant and Iheanacho could be of immense help.
Meanwhile, Leicester boss, Brendan Rodgers has promised to rotate his squad.
“It’s something that comes into consideration,”
Rodgers said on squad rotation. “It will be important, like it always had been. It’s definitely something we will look at over the course of the games.”
Iheanacho has rediscovered himself with the attacker now getting game time on a regular basis for the Foxes so far during the 2019/20 season after falling out of favour last term, netting eight times in 18 games in all competitions.
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COMMENTS
Complete Sports Nigeria Correspondents must have been reading my mind because I have been trying to corroborate the stories being peddled in Nigerian media outlets that Iheanacho has been put on special drills because he appeared overweight upon returning to camp ahead of the resumption of the current Premier League season.
In truth, the pictures that accompanied those stories did appear to show Iheanacho slightly big around the belly but I am yet to find any English media outlets running any stories about Iheanacho being overweight.
Knowing the overly critical and harsh nature of the British Press, this is one story that I would have expected them to splash across many headlines.
Rather, as both myself and CSN found out, the most relevant stories of Iheanacho by British media are like the one above about his explosive and fantastic impact this season leading to a positive 360 degrees turnaround in fortune and form for a player that has started fulfilling his huge potentials.
In 17 games across all competitions this season, Iheanacho has scored 7 goals making him a 1 goal per 2 games striker: a rather astonishing record for a player many fans had written off just a season ago.
He might have slight indulged himself during the pandemic lock down however any suggestions that this unconfirmed report will slow Iheanacho down is grossly misplaced (in my personal opinion).
I expect him to continue from where he left off to continue to underscore what a quality striker that he is.
_Correction_
Despite playing a bit-part role, Iheanacho has scored eight and assisted four in 18 appearances, seven of which have been off the bench this season.