BY ANDREW EKEJIUBA
The Super Eagles Coach Gernot Rohr has advised Kelechi Iheanacho to remain humble if the Leicester City striker wants to remain at the top of his game.
The forward has been in terrific form for the Foxes this season as he scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 28 appearances across all competitions.
The Nigerian international recently signed a new contract that will keep him at King Power Stadium until 2024.
The 24-year-old scored five goals in three league appearances for the Foxes in the lead-up to the international break last month which includes his first Premier League hat-trick against Sheffield United, resulting in the former Manchester City star being named March’s Premier League player of the month on Friday.
He was one of eight players shortlisted for the award and he beat the likes of Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane, Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez and Manchester United’s Luke Shaw to the accolade.
“From my perspective Kelechi Iheanacho can keep his good form for Leicester City as well as winning the EPL player of the month if he remains humble,” the German tactician said.
“I think this is an important quality to have all the time as a great player.
“We played him twice (during the AFCON qualifiers), although he didn’t score, he made a wonder assist to Osimhen in the second game (Lesotho) for the first goal,” Rohr stated.
Meanwhile, former African Footballer of the Year and 1996 Olympics gold medalist Victor Ikpeba shares the opinion that Iheanacho can step into the shoes of Jamie Vardy when the aging Leicester City striker calls time on his career.
“Kelechi deserves accolades in some ways because his performance in the last few weeks is a signal to Brendan Rodgers that he might be a good replacement for Vardy, who’s not getting younger,” Ikpeba opined regarding Iheanacho’s new deal.
“If Kelechi has the confidence of the manager and his teammates, if they give him those passes he’ll score goals.
“So in some ways Kelechi is just like the natural replacement for Vardy, I think so. For him to have a three-year extension, it says volumes in modern football.”
Iheanacho joined Leicester City from Manchester City in the summer of 2017 for a fee of 25 million pounds.
