Iheanacho backs Guardiola to take team to next level

Alam Khan - Reporter 21:12 16/05/2016
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  • Kelechi Iheanacho

    The frontman’s goal in a 1-1 draw at Swansea on Sunday secured Champions League football next season through a fourth-place finish in the Premier League.

    And players and fans now eagerly await the start of a new era with Guardiola coming in to replace Manuel Pellegrini, who won a Premier League title and two League Cups during his three-year spell in charge.

    Guardiola has enjoyed glittering success at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich and Iheanacho, 19, believes he will make a big impact at City too.

    “There is a great manager coming in and you have to be happy about that,” he said. “We will work with him and he will be choosing the players he wants to work with next season so it’s a case of working hard and seeing what happens.

    “Pep is a great manager who has coached some big teams in Europe and won a lot of trophies. I think he will do the same for us as well.

    “I hope he can improve my game to help take me to the next level – and we can all win many trophies.”

    Iheanacho's season in numbers

    • Played: 26
    • Goals: 8
    • Assists: 1
    • Shots: 26

    Iheanacho, though, will be sorry to see Pellegrini go after getting a first-team chance under the Chilean and scoring eight goals in a campaign that has seen City win the League Cup and reach the Champions League semi-finals, but under-achieve in the Premier League.

    “He is a special manager for me and has done great things in my life,” added the Nigerian, who won the Golden Ball as best player when his country won the Under-17 World Cup in Abu Dhabi three years ago.

    “He brought me into the first team, introducing me to work with the squad right from pre-season last year.

    “I am happy for him, for everything he achieved with this team, and happy that he made me a part of it. I won’t forget him, no matter where he goes.

    “He is popular with the players, he makes people happy when they work with him because he likes to play football.

    “I have been playing and scoring goals this season, so it has been a huge difference to what happened to me last season.

    “I am not quite happy that he is going, but this is the football world and anything can happen.

    “But next season I hope to be much better, and score more goals to help the team succeed in all the competitions.”

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