Man City Coach, Pellegrini Speaks Out On Why Iheanacho Isn’t Playing Regularly

Manchester City’s 19-year-old Nigerian
forward, Kelechi Iheanacho looks set
for a successful career, with Coach
Manuel Pellegrini needs to offer him
more chances to show what he can do.
City can look forward to a League Cup
semi-final with Everton in the new year
after their comprehensive win over Hull
City.
Perhaps the only negative was the
omission from the starting line-up of
Iheanacho, City’s most promising young
player and the star of their win over
Crystal Palace in the previous round.
He came off the bench with 20 minutes
remaining against Steve Bruce’s side and
scored his third goal of the season, but
given the quality of his fleeting
performances throughout the season most
people felt sure he would play the full 90
minutes. It begs the question: where are
Iheanacho’s chances coming from if he
can’t get a start in the League Cup?
“It’s very difficult with young players. It’s
very important not to think because you
arrive with the first team you are ready
as a professional player. He [Iheanacho]
is a player that must work a lot but I
think he’s a player that has important
options in the future.
Where he arrives will depend on how he
takes his chances.” Caution with young
players is perfectly understandable,
particularly at City where the level
required to make the transition from
academy to first team is so high.
However, Pellegrini is in danger of
holding a player back who appears nailed
on to become a first-team regular.