The forward went ahead to sign a pre-contract with the cash-loaded Sky Blues, snubbing the likes of Arsenal, Sporting Lisbon, Monaco and Liverpool, who were said to have declared their interest in his services.
Iheanacho, who scored his debut goal in the Citizen’s 4-1 win over American outfit Sporting Kansas City in Kansas last week, was also on the scoresheet in City’s 5-1 win over AC Milan in the International Champions Cup in Pennsylvania on Monday.
And City manager Manuel Pellegrini, who is impressed with the striker’s performances in the preseason so far, has heaped praise on the 17-year-old.
According to The Sun, Pellegrini is confident of getting a work permit for the former Taye Academy player to enable the club to sign on a permanent deal following his showing in the preseason.
“After the tour we will see what happens with him. There are a lot of things to arrange to play in England but he has an important future,” Pellegrini was quoted by Daily Mail as saying.
Speaking to our correspondent on the telephone during the week, Amuneke, who was Manu Garba’s assistant when the Golden Eaglets were crowned world champions in the UAE, fears Iheanacho’s inclusion in City’s senior team at such a tender age could put the player under pressure.
“I’m happy he’s doing well at Man City at the moment but he still has a lot to learn,” the Tunisia ’94 Africa Cup of Nations winner told our correspondent on the telephone during the week.
“He’s still very young and we all know that Man City have Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, (Alvaro) Negredo and (Stevan) Jovetic in the attack.
“Iheanacho may find it difficult breaking into the first team with these big names around. But it’s possible he can make it. Nothing is impossible in football. He’s a great talent.
“Iheanacho is a great player but I think he should start with a smaller team where he’s guaranteed starting roles to develop into the player we know he will become.”
The national Under-17 team coach said the player must not be rushed by City, but rather the Flying Eagles forward should be allowed to go through a step-by-step programme.
Amuneke, who scored the winning goal for the Under-23 team in their 3-2 defeat of powerhouse Argentina at the 1996 Olympic Games men’s football final to help Nigeria claim gold, advised young Nigerian players to consider their future before signing contracts with foreign clubs.
The 1994 African Footballer of the Year said young Nigerian players should not consider the money involved before putting pen to paper for European clubs but they should ask questions about the youth development programmes of such clubs before signing deals.
He said, “Our players should learn from the mistakes made by some of our players in the past. They shouldn’t get carried away by the money they will get from the clubs but how they can develop and be in the position to sign bigger contracts in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment