Iheanacho Hoping To Achieve Something Special
- Kelechi Iheanacho wants to help bring success to Leicester City after joining the Club on Thursday
- The striker, 20, knows he must work hard to continue his rapid development at the Foxes
- Iheanacho signed a five-year deal after making the switch from Manchester City for an undisclosed fee
At the age of just 20, the Nigeria international striker has already made waves in the Premier League having scored 12 times in 46 top-flight appearances at former side Manchester City.
Sat in the changing rooms at King Power Stadium, it was clear that Iheanacho – winner of the FIFA Golden Ball award at the U17 World Cup in 2013 – understood the difficulty of the task ahead.
But his goalscoring exploits speak volumes of his talents and after a conversation with Craig Shakespeare upon joining the Club, the striker is positive he can make a significant impact for the Foxes.
Speaking exclusively to LCFC TV, he said: “It feels good and I’m happy to be part of this team. I know the ambition of the team and speaking with the manager, he let me know what I need to do – to help the team achieve what they want. I was convinced and I’m happy to be here.
“I was happy speaking with the manager, knowing what the team wants. It gives me more confidence that I will fit in this team and hopefully I’ll achieve a lot.
“I spoke with the ex-international Nigeria players that have played in the Premier League, they gave my advice and I’m happy that I’ll see my guys [Wilfred] Ndidi and [Ahmed] Musa. I can’t wait to meet my team-mates, make friends with everyone and crack on with them.”
Iheanacho lifted the League Cup during the same season that the Foxes stormed to the most incredible title triumph in footballing history.
Now he hopes not only to be part of Leicester’s future success, but also to continue his development as one of the most promising youngsters in the country.
“The Club has achieved something big – winning the Premier League is a great honour,” said the Nigerian. “Being part of this team, I want to really help them bring whatever I can to the team. I’ll work really hard to help them achieve more in the future.
“If you look, you see they have great players that will help me and so will my friends Ndidi and Musa. They’ll help me to improve and know everything and settle down.
"It’s a great decision for me to come here, not just to develop but to help the team achieve their goals and make the most of it. It’s the right move for me.
Iheanacho Completes City Medical
Watch as new Foxes signing Kelechi Iheanacho completes his medical at Belvoir Drive...
“I think the team is really strong. They have built this team work and togetherness and they’re working hard to achieve their dreams and achieve for the Club. Every player is bringing everything that they’ve got – 100 per cent – to work for this team.
“If you look in the last two seasons, there has been a lot of progress in this team. Young or old, everybody is bringing everything that they’ve got and I will give everything.”
Iheanacho says he is now ready to begin the hard work at Belvoir Drive and with that he hopes will come the opportunity of game time for the Foxes.
“It will be a massive challenge and I’m happy to accept the challenge. I’m happy to be here, work hard and take the opportunities that will come.
“I think we can achieve so many things but it depends on the hard work and commitment that we put in in every game and training session.
“You train as you play the games. I need to work hard in every game, I need to concentrate and the history will come afterwards.”
Having already played at King Power Stadium for Man City during both the 2015/16 and 2016/17 season, City’s No.8 is now looking forward to making his first appearance on Filbert Way.
“I’ve played at King Power Stadium when we came to play Leicester and it was a good experience,” he added.
“The fans are so amazing – they’re great fans and they cheer the team on. I’ll be happy playing at King Power Stadium with my team for the first time.
“It will be great and I will love it. I want to meet the fans and them cheering us on will be amazing.”