Nigeria duo, Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho are in the running for Leicester City’s Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season awards respectively, Completesports.com reports.
Ndidi and Iheanacho’s names are among the list of nominees for both categories of awards released on the Leicester City’s official website on Friday,
Ndidi has won the Young Player of the Season award for the past two seasons following his arrival at the club from Belgian Jupiler League side KRC Genk.
He is a firm favourite for the higher award categpry this this time around following another stellar season with the Foxes.
Ndidi, 22, has featured in 34 Premier League games this season and scored twice.
None of his two goals however made the shortlist for the Goal of the Season award.
Iheanacho on his part, has struggled to make impact at the club this season and is risking missing out on a place in Nigeria squad to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
He has scored once in 28 league appearances for Leicester City.
The winner of the awards will be announced at the end of the season dinner at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday May 7th.
By Adeboye Amosu
4 Comments
Poor Iheanacho, l really feel sorry for him. His wish does not match his reality. However, he should go back to self critical analysis on how and why is he on the fringe and not on the gravity of play for Club & Country at this particular time of his career .
With Leicester City rumoured to be lining up a summer move for England and Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge – who becomes a free agent at the end of the season – Iheanacho’s chances of first team football are set to diminish further.
This more so as coach Brendan Rodgers only sees Iheanacho as an out-and-out striker; at least the previous coach often saw Iheanacho in his more familiar role of a support striker.
The fact that Iheanacho has descended from being a mega star to just an above-average player doesn’t make him totally lame.
He now just needs a club where he can play regularly and sharpen what is left of his skill set.
Everything has is own time likewise everyone has is own up and down challenges in life.
I will never blamed Iheanacho rather, I will pray for him because he is not among lazy Nigerian youths. Iheanacho, God will help you to overcome your problem.
Coach Rohr helps Uzoho and Ighalo during their tests and I want to see what the coach is going to do for this hard working young man.
Maybe a special training or advice will help Iheanacho but let’s wait and see.
Ah, if Oga Rohr refused to try his best on Iheanacho, as usual, I will tell him what to do before this year Afcon o. Chai, this is not a joke o but the truth. God bless Nigeria!!!
Further to my entry above, Iheanacho can take a cue from Sadiq Umar who exchanged his nightmare in Scotland for paradise in Italy.
Sadiq’s situation was even more dire than Iheanacho: he was banned from training with the main team and relegated to the reserves with the club’s hierarchy making it clear that he wasn’t talented enough to wear the Jersey of Rangers.
Sadiq and his advisers moved to secure a club in Italy where he walked straight into the starting 11 and now plays regularly.
Many are disappointed with Iheanacho but I think some of that disappointment is not always well placed.
Fact: Iheanacho hasn’t become that megastar player that his games – and goals – for Man City some years back suggested that he would become.
However, going by his performances when given a healthy run of games at Leicester City this season (particularly in Cup competitions against lower league oppositions), plus his blistering pre-season form, Iheanacho remains a slightly-above-average player.
**just earlier this season when he played 30 minutes or more in the Premier League matches, he made 4 goals-assists (1 assist per 3 games)
A run of games – the sort that Sadiq Umar now enjoys for Perugia – should help beef up Iheanacho’s confidence thereby continually improving his game to even more decent levels.
Iheanacho’s chances of making the 2019 Afcon squad is currently hanging on a thread and it will come at no surprise to anyone if he missed out on selection.
However, looking at the bigger picture, Iheanacho will do his career a world of good to go to a club where he can play regular football.
Beggars, they say, can’t be choosers. Iheanacho’s travails in Leicester City unfortunately doesn’t put him in a position where he can pick-and-choose Premier League clubs; his performances haven’t been consistent enough.
He just needs a decent club in a decent league where he can play week in week out to build his confidence level and show everyone that he still has the x-factor.
Then the big clubs will come calling and his national team status restored.