Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho celebrates scoring with Jamie Vardy

by
Staff Reporter

Wednesday Apr 07, 2021. 09:00

Legendary Nigerian forward Victor Ikpeba believes Kelechi Iheanacho can be a natural replacement for Jamie Vardy at Leicester City.

Iheanacho is enjoying his best season since he joined Leicester from fellow English Premier League club Manchester City in August 2017.

The left-footed striker was recently named the Premier League Player of the Month for March 2021 after scoring five goals in three matches.

Iheanacho, who recently signed a new contract with Leicester which will end in 2024, has now been tipped to replace club legend Vardy at the 2015/16 Premier League champions.

“Deserving in some ways because his performance in the last few weeks is a signal to Brendan Rodgers that Kelechi might be a good replacement for Vardy, he’s not getting younger,” Ikpeba said on All Nigeria Soccer.

“If Kelechi has the confidence of the manager and his teammates, if they give him those passes he will score goals.”

Vardy is widely regarded as one of the most prolific strikers in world football and he scored in eleven consecutive Premier League matches, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record in the 2015/16 season.

The 34-year-old English star was then voted the Premier League Player of the Season and FWA Footballer of the Year as outsiders Leicester won the title and he won the Premier League Golden Boot for the 2019/20 season, becoming the oldest player to win the award.

“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,” the 1997 CAF African Footballer of the Year Ikpeba added.

Iheanacho, who will turn 25 in October 2021, has netted 15 goals in 88 Premier League matches for Leicester.


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