Former Leicester City captain Matt Elliott thinks that forward Kelechi Iheanacho could force his way into becoming a more regular part of the team after his recent displays.
Ever since he joined Leicester City in the summer of 2017 for £25m, he has found getting regular playing time hard to come by, having only started 36 league games in just over three and a half seasons, by playing second fiddle behind Jamie Vardy.
But his recent run in the team has seen him start the last four games and score five goals, seeing him jump to the club’s fourth-highest scorer this season.
Speaking on the latest edition of 5000/1 (6:58 & 7:47), Elliott praised the forward, valued at £13.5m on Transfermarkt, and said that after his performances of late, he could see his role increased within the club.
He said: “He could play, in times gone by, exceptionally well, score a brace shall we say and find himself on the bench next week as Vardy’s back from suspension. That’s not the case now. He’s had a run of games, he’s produced consistently – more consistently the Jamie Vardy ironically.
“The way things on the injury front transpired, it’s almost forced Brendan Rodgers’ hand, hasn’t it? But he was superb at the weekend, his general play as well, I think, was a conscious ploy by Leicester to make use of that front pair.”
Is there more to come from Kelechi Iheanacho?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Matt Elliott’s comments on Kelechi Iheanacho…
Elliott’s words certainly come across as ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. And not only can this help Leicester right now as he picks up the slack left behind from some of their injured players like Harvey Barnes and James Maddison, but it also gives them a chance to properly evaluate him for if and when they decide to move on from Vardy.
He’s passed the test so far, but the more games they play him in, the more they’ll be able to see if he really is that option, or if they need to go out and bring someone else in.