Nigeria's Kelechi Iheanacho made his debut for Manchester City with an impressive appearance by scoring the last of City’s goals in a 4-1 win over Sporting Kansas City at the Sporting Park in a pre-season friendly match.
Manchester City beat a host of European clubs to sign Iheanacho after he scored six goals in seven games to claim the Golden Ball at last summer’s Under 17 World Championship.
Kelechi Iheanacho in action for Manchester City in a pre-season friendly
Iheanacho, whose paperwork is still being processed by the English champions, latched onto a cutback from Jesus Navas on top of the box and stroked home with calm composure and precision.
The 17-year-old deservedly took man-of-the-match honours after a performance that embodied class, ease of movement, quick thinking and impeccable passing.
"Iheanacho. Watch out for that name. You're going to be hearing that name for a long time to come. Eye catching display," according to the comments of an ESPN commentator.
Manuel Pellegrini paid tribute to Kelechi Iheanacho after he starred in Manchester City’s win over Sporting Kansas City but admitted that the Premier League champions may struggle to secure a work permit for the teenage Nigerian striker.
Kelechi Iheanacho shakes hands with his Manchester City team-mate
Pellegrini is convinced he has a bright future in the game.
But Pellegrini is uncertain if they will now be able to secure the necessary paperwork so he can stay in England.
He said: ‘Kelechi is just 17 years old and he’s a very important player for us in the future. He demonstrated today what he can do in the future. It depends on the way he takes this profession, but I think he’s a good talent.
‘We’ve not decided yet (what the plan is for him) because it’s not easy. He’s just 17 and sometimes that’s the problem. We’ll see what he will do in the future. For the moment he will stay with us and we’ll see when we return to England what will happen with him. But he’s a very important player for the future for the club.
‘After the tour we will see what happens with him. There are a lot of things to arrange to play in England but he has an important future.’
Iheanacho was the star performer as Nigeria's Under-17 team won the World Cup last year, and was the target of Europe's top clubs before signing for City.
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