Why I allowed Iheanacho to leave Manchester City – Guardiola
Pep Guardiola says he is glad to see Kelechi Iheanacho performing at the highest level again ahead of Manchester City clash with Leicester
The Spanish gaffer also took his time explained why the Nigerian youngster didn’t get many opportunities during his time at Manchester City and why he had to be sold.
Iheanacho first broke through to the City first team in 2015 and was given regular playing time by Guardiola’s predecessor Manuel Pellegrini. struggled to find his feet at the King Power stadium initially, no thanks to the constant change of manager and also the presence of Jamie Vardy.
The 24-year-old finally get his chance to impress after Leicester City lost James Maddison and Dennis Praet to injury and he grabbed his chance by scoring seven goals in four games, with five of them coming in the premier league.
The form earned him the player of the month award for the month of March and Guardiola said he is glad to see Iheanacho performing so well lately.
The former Barcelona manager stressed further that he had to allow Iheanacho to leave Manchester City because he was behind Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus in the pecking order.
“Incredible,” Guardiola replied when asked what he thought of his former striker’s recent performances. “The quality was there, he was a young player here and I believe at that moment with Gabriel and Sergio we didn’t have much space. He is a fantastic person, we had a good relationship, and I’m delighted it’s going well lately.”
“He’s playing for the injured Maddison and he links really well with the midfield and he’s good in behind, he’s fast, and in the final third he has the right tempo, he is so clear in front of the goal,” he said in a news conference ahead of meeting with Leicester City on Saturday.
