{"id":588934,"date":"2021-04-12T16:40:15","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T20:40:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=588934"},"modified":"2021-04-12T16:40:15","modified_gmt":"2021-04-12T20:40:15","slug":"kelechi-iheanacho-leicester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2021\/04\/12\/kelechi-iheanacho-leicester\/","title":{"rendered":"Kelechi Iheanacho Leicester City Career: Future Beginning to Look Bright Again"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once again, West Ham<\/a> raced into a three-goal lead in a Premier League game<\/a>, thanks to their star man Jesse Lingard<\/a>. For the second time in a row, they actually held on after conceding two, for a second successive 3-2 win. It was Leicester City who were on the receiving end, as the Foxes suffered a second defeat on the bounce. On another grim occasion for Brendan Rodgers\u2019 side, one man continued his upwards form, in Kelechi Iheanacho. The Kelechi Iheanacho Leicester City career continues to rise.<\/p>\n

Kelechi Iheanacho Leicester City Career: Future is Now<\/h2>\n

Kelechi Iheanacho Reborn<\/h3>\n

For Kelechi Iheanacho, it is a continuation of a rich vein of form. The kind that earned him a Player of the Month award for March. Despite Leicester\u2019s tepid display at the London Stadium, Iheanacho bagged a double to reduce the deficit for the Foxes.<\/p>\n

That brace means he\u2019s now scored nine goals in the last six games. It also takes his tally for the season overall to 14, joint-top scorer at the club (Jamie Vardy, the other, has played three more games, and over a thousand more minutes). It\u2019s also more than what he\u2019s registered in any of the past three seasons at the King Power. But that\u2019s just not all for the Nigerian.<\/p>\n

Iheanacho Leicester Career: What\u2019s Changed Between Then and Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not just that Kelechi Iheanacho i<\/a>s scoring more than he has done at Leicester in his career. Even though his earlier years were not great. His first season saw him score eight goals, which was both underwhelming and deceptive. His second season \u2013 in which he only scored twice and was known for that miss in that famous Manchester City Vincent Kompany game<\/a> \u2013 was more reflective of his form.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t that his form was bad. It was that his attitude was worse. For many who saw Kelechi Iheanacho dominate with Nigeria at the U17 World Cup in 2013, goals are only a part of his game. A goal drought wouldn\u2019t have been alarming, except he also looked lost. He looked like a man defeated.<\/p>\n

The Impact of Brendan Rodgers<\/h3>\n

The improvement of Kelechi Iheanacho can also be attributed to the arrival of Rodgers. First, there\u2019s the fact that in Rodgers\u2019 first full season, Iheanacho finally reached double figures for the Foxes for the first time. Then there\u2019s the fact that Rodgers has adapted his tactics over time.<\/p>\n

Iheanacho has been completed by players around him, not least Jamie Vardy when he\u2019s in form. Iheanacho isn\u2019t the quickest forward and the most energy-busting player. Instead, he\u2019s a subtle and steady man in attack, and it helps to be surrounded by runners \u2013 both in front and beside him.<\/p>\n

The Future With Leicester City<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s no denying the fact that Jamie Vardy\u2019s time as Leicester\u2019s leading man is coming to an end. His slump in form and fitness of late is a grim reminder of that reality. In the past, there would be a worry about Leicester\u2019s direction and the succession of Vardy in the Foxes\u2019 attack.<\/p>\n

But things are different now. Kelechi Iheanacho looks to have finally found his feet, his confidence, and his smile again. For the man whose middle name is Promise, the future looks bright again.<\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>