Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho has extended his contract with Manchester City to 2021, what does this mean for the player and club going forward?
Every supporter loves their respective clubs youth squad, and for good reason. If things aren’t going your way in the main team, well, just think of all that untapped talent waiting in the wings. They haven’t been thrashed by any of the top Premier League teams lately, so heck, who knows? Maybe they are Messi and Neymar mark 2. Potential is such a wonderful, yet so oft untapped thing.
For Manchester City, one has to wonder if any of that bears any relevance. They have one of the best Academies in the country that has produced many past, present and future stars, but their main team doesn’t live or die by them.
On the contrary, with unlimited resources they can sit back and pick off the choice quality from other teams instead. Very few, if any, of their Under 21 squad ever makes a mark on the first team these days and those that do are far more easily replaced than elsewhere.
More from Manchester City
- Manchester City and their enigmatic coach stand on the cusp of greatness
- Three challenges Manchester City might face in upcoming season
- 3 potential destinations for Raheem Sterling next season
- Manchester City officially announce Erling Haaland signing
- Gabriel Jesus set for Manchester City departure
There are exceptions of course, as to any rule, among them City and Nigeria striker Kelechi Iheanacho. You’ve probably heard of him, he has something of a penchant for scoring, finding the back of the net 8 times in 7 starts and a total 753 minutes of football last season for the Blues. At 19, there’s plenty to be excited about with Kelechi and today it seems even more was added to the list.
Iheanacho, it was announced today, has signed a contract extension that will keep him at Manchester City until at least 2021. I have to admit, this one does seem to be a bit of a head scratcher. It’s quite unsure how much game Kelechi will see under the new regime with Pep Guardiola, given the latter is about as likely to play with two pure centre-forwards as he is to play with me.
Indications were given by Iheanacho that, potentially, he was far from pleased with Manuel Pellegrini, the manager who brought him through to the first team, getting the heave-ho from his position mid-season. Further, one would imagine the uncertainty of Pep’s arrival, coupled with the influx of new signings this summer, would give Kelechi pause for thought on his future, but apparently he’s having none of it.
Good news all round then. For Manchester City, a proven goal scorer sits on the bench as cover for Sergio Aguero and will be around for when the Argentinian superstar bows out. For Kelechi, it’s a chance to grow and develop under arguably the world’s best coach in Pep. For the fans, a justification for their hope in the future talent waiting just one level below in the system.
More from Playing for 90
- Alexia Putellas reaches 400 games with Barcelona
- Everything you need to know ahead of the 250th ‘Super Clásico’
- Barcelona put five past Real Betis
- Manchester City suffer but come away with win over West Ham
- Baffling Liga MX ruling strips Puebla of a hard-earned victory
Perhaps the biggest benefit immediately will be felt by Iheanacho himself. His goal-scoring ability may be beyond a doubt, but he remains very raw and in need of refinement in numerous areas. His overall contribution to the game is questionable and all too often he comes off as being greedy.
These things are to be expected for a player of his age and will be ironed out by a manager who clearly, despite not giving him much playtime so far this season, has a desire to keep Kelechi at the Etihad for the long-term.
How much we’ll see of Kelechi Iheanacho for Manchester City this year is very much up in the air, but you can bet we’ll be seeing a lot of him between now and 2021. Between that, and the fact we can all dream big about the other youngsters in the system, it’s worth every penny.