Kelechi Iheanacho: Guardiola Describes Player As A Rare Gem

Manchester City coach, Pep Guardiola, has again lavished praises on his prodigy Kelechi Iheanacho, saying the Nigerian exhibits talent that is rare by a player of his age.

The 20-year-old scored his 12th English Premier League goal for City, their second in the 3-0 win at Hull on Boxing Day and Guardiola admitted the strike allowed the team stabilised after Yaya Toure had put them up from the spot.

Iheanacho just tapped in after connecting with David Silva’s cross and Guardiola said the youngster’s positioning and killer instinct belies his age. “He has goals in him, which part of his game has never been in doubt.

We want him here and he knows it. He hasn’t been getting games as many would have expected but he is just 20-year-old,” Guardiola said.

“There are few players of his age in Europe at the moment who are playing for top teams in top league, but you have to give it to him, he’s positioning and goal scoring sense is rare to find among kids of his age.”

Guardiola’s assertion is supported by statistics after the youngster was adjudged the most prolific striker in the history of the EPL so far following his goal against Hull which was his 12th in the league in just 1,147 minutes of football.

Remarkably, the former Golden Eaglets star scored the number from just 19 shots in 38 games.

He now has the best goals-to-minutes ratio of any player in the EPL history. Iheanacho has scored a goal every 95.6 minutes ahead of second placed Sergio Aguero who has netted in every 107.

1minites and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry who hit the target in every 121.8minutes. Meanwhile, Man City legend Toure has warned Iheanacho to keep showing his hunger for success so as to maintain his status as one of the future stars of the game.

“When you’re young like that, you have to show your hunger,” the midfielder told reporters after the game.

“What I tell him all the time, even on the training ground, [is] when you play like that you have to show up and I think today Monday was brilliant for him.”