The 25-year-old is a player whose best position in the Super Eagles team divides opinion, but the German tactician has provided a solution
Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has said that the best way to use Kelechi Iheanacho is to play him in the same position he plays in the Leicester City team.
There have been arguments on how to get the best out of Iheanacho in the Super Eagles team, with some suggesting he should play as a number ten.
However, Rohr believes it is better to play him as a supporting striker, which is his role in the Foxes team under Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers had also revealed that Iheanacho’s best role is up front, and the former Burkina Faso manager shares his view.
“We use Kelechi like he is used in Leicester, like a second striker,” Rohr said in a Q&A with Elegbete TV.
“He is playing with Vardy, but he is not starting so much, actually, yeah.”
“He is coming in but not playing all the time.”
“But we try to give him the same opportunity like what he is used to with his club.”
“That’s what we try all the time with the players.”
“We had Osimhen, not Vardy, and Kelechi was the second striker, coming sometimes from behind, taking the ball, giving decisive passes like he is doing in his club more and more.”
“He even gives decisive passes than he scores goals, actually.”
Aside from his double against Liberia in September, Iheanacho has struggled in his matches for the Super Eagles, most recently the doubleheader against The Central African Republic last month.
Rohr has now hinted that the conditions in Nigeria could be the reason why the former Manchester City man has struggled to replicate his club form on international duty.
“So the real problem is, I think he doesn’t have the same conditions of the pitches and everything in Nigeria like he has in England.”
“It’s a different football,” Rohr added.
This post was last modified on November 3, 2021 8:38 am
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Correct. Iheanacho is best as a twin or support striker not a NO 10 or 9. I will like Rohr to invite KELECHI NWAKALI, captain of 2015 U-17 Cup winning Eaglets, irrespective of which league he is in . That boy is a gem. That is the missing link in the present Eagles. Also add Taiwo Awoniyi, Nigeria under 17 2013 Cup winning striker. He will be a better substitute for Osimhen as 9 than anyone else.
I think that Lukas Henty and Amoo are the two missing links, not Kelechi. Kelechi is not playing for any known club in Europe at the moment, and is not commanded a regular playing time in his present club either. Rohr may need to include the two players in his provisional list for Cameroon, next year, to see the qualities that they can add to the SE.