Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho Destined for Stardom After Winner vs. Palace

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Sometimes a young footballer emerges and immediately looks destined for stardom. They have obvious technical quality and confidence in their ability, and they tend to enjoy moments early in their careers that feel seismic—the springboard for sustained future success. It’s a rare, wonderful thing, but we may have seen the latest example of it on Saturday in London.

Manchester City have a potential great on their hands. Kelechi Iheanacho, an 18-year-old Nigerian forward, impressed on the club’s preseason tour and forced his way into City manager Manuel Pellegrini’s thinking.

His performances were difficult to ignore, with a mix of skill, intelligence and belief in in his talent. It was clear by the time City had returned from their final friendly in Stuttgart he was the best young player on their books and the most likely to break into the first team.

Edin Dzeko left for Roma. Stevan Jovetic moved to Inter Milan. Pellegrini, a manager often cautious when bringing young players into his side, clearly believed he had a special player at his disposal. The stage seemed set for Iheanacho.

But his progress was soon slowed. He was named on the bench for each of City’s first four matches, but there was just one opportunity to shine, an 89th-minute appearance in the home win over Watford. After such an impressive preseason, Iheanacho was surely feeling frustrated.

But on Saturday at Crystal Palace, his moment came. Again, he was given very little time to influence the game, but he made a huge impact, announcing his arrival with his first senior goal—a last-gasp winner that continued City’s 100 per cent start to the season.

Samir Nasri twisted and turned on the edge of the Palace box before getting a shot away that was only parried by Alex McCarthy, and Iheanacho, demonstrating his innate killer instincts, reacted quicker than any defender and stabbed home.

Manic scenes erupted in the away end and on the pitch, where Iheanacho’s team-mates, who clearly like the youngster and see his potential, celebrated his winner wildly.

It felt like the moment a star was born. City’s squad is so full of talent, progressing from the academy setup into the first team and becoming a regular is mired in difficulty, but Iheanacho appears well-equipped to do so.

He has quick feet, vision, a sharp brain and can finish. So far in his short City career, no challenge has been too much for him. He continually comes through each test with vigour. He was the club’s best player during in preseason, and now he has scored City’s most important goal of the new Premier League season.

City have now won their opening five games without conceding a goal. They are five points clear of Manchester United and Arsenal and 11 points ahead of last season’s champions, Chelsea. Pellegrini could hardly have wished for a better start to the season.

Crystal Palace, who started the day in second just three points behind City, gave the Blues their sternest test of the season, but such is the character and belief in their squad, a win always seemed likely for Pellegrini’s side.

Palace started well and were causing City problems down the flanks, with Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha demonstrating their pace and trickery. But City gradually took control, and in the second half they were the better side.

Kevin De Bruyne made his debut, but not in the circumstances Pellegrini would have wished for. The 24-year-old Belgium international started on the bench, but after 25 minutes he was called upon to replace the injured Sergio Aguero, who was scythed down by a poor challenge from Scott Dann.

Aguero looks set to miss Tuesday’s Champions League match with Juventus. Pellegrini was visibly angry and berated his opposite number, Alan Pardew. It’s not the first time the two have clashed, and Dann’s challenge has shades of the Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa tackle that left Nasri facing an eight-week layoff when City played Pardew’s Newcastle in 2014.

De Bruyne, though, showed flashes of absolute brilliance. He will need time to adjust to the pace and intensity of the Premier League after 18 months in the Bundesliga, but his ability to play defence-splitting slide-rule passes was on show from the moment he entered the field.

It’s been a flawless opening few weeks for City, and in Kelechi Iheanacho, they may well have the next star of the Premier League.

 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report’s lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.

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