Kelechi Iheanacho has been nominated for April’s Premier League player of the month following his brilliant display for Leicester City.
It’s Iheanacho’s second consecutive player of the month nomination, having won March’s award. The Nigerian international has been Leicester’s top man in the last few months
Iheanacho has scored 10 league goals for the Foxes this season, but four came in April, while he also registered two assists. The former Manchester City man also scored the goal that sent Leicester to their first FA Cup final since 1969.
Iheanacho will battle it out with Jesse Lingard, Trent Alexander Arnold, Stuart Dallas, Mason Greenwood, Matheus Pereira, Allan Saint-Maximin, and Chris Wood for the award.
Should he pick up the award, he would become the second Nigerian to win it on two occasions after Peter Odemwingie won it with West Brom.
Meanwhile, former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood is of the opinion that Iheanacho is now an important member of the Leicester City squad and Brendan Rodgers cannot afford to drop him from the starting lineup.
For a while in his Leicester City career, it looked like Iheanacho won’t fulfill his talent or just be no more than a super sub, but he’s the player that has made the biggest impact for Leicester City in the last two months.
Since the start of March, the Nigeria international has directly participated in a remarkable 15 goals in 10 matches across all competitions for the Foxes, all of which he started, which is a testament to the player and the coaching that he has received.
“It has been forced upon him (Brendan Rodgers) a little bit, there was no Maddison, there was no Ayoze Perez,” Sherwood said yesterday.
“He played him (Iheanacho) when Vardy was injured but he stuck with the two because you cannot drop him at the moment.
“He is undroppable, fantastic goals that he scores. I feel sorry for him, he has come from Manchester City, he probably thought he was going to play every minute of every game, didn’t materialise like that.
“Now he has kept himself right, he’s very professional, he’s had the opportunity and he’s showing everyone what he can do.”
For the second month running, Iheanacho has been double-nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month and Goal of the Month awards.
