Kelechi Iheanacho concedes that he may have to bide his time for a regular place in the Manchester City line-up, ahead of Tuesday’s Premier League visit to struggling Sunderland.
The 19-year-old Nigerian scored a slick hat-trick in City’s 4-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory at Aston Villa on Saturday, taking his tally in all competitions this season to eight goals from just five starts.
Iheanacho, who took the place of rested top scorer Sergio Aguero at Villa Park, has proved hugely effective coming off the bench for manager Manuel Pellegrini and concedes that he may have to settle for a substitute role against Sunderland.
But with Pellegrini apparently poised to name Iheanacho in his Champions League squad this week, the young forward is dreaming of one day partnering Aguero in City’s front line.
“I am happy to play together with Sergio and hope I can do it for many more years at City,” said Iheanacho, whose side trail league leaders Leicester City by three points.
“I won’t say I will be kicking him out of the team. He is a great player, so I don’t think that will happen. It makes me so happy to play with a player like that.
“I am very happy, proud and grateful to score the first hat-trick for City, and the first of my career.
“It’s a great day in my life, but it’s not the greatest day of my life because I need to keep working hard. This is the starting point of my career so I need to keep going.”
Pellegrini will be without three key defenders at the Stadium of Light in Vincent Kompany, Eliaquim Mangala and Aleksandar Kolarov, although the trio could be back training with his first-team squad this week.
French midfielder Samir Nasri is expected to be out for a further two months, a similar length of absence to the one that Belgian winger Kevin De Bruyne can expect after injuring knee ligaments last week.
“We have a squad,” said Pellegrini of De Bruyne’s injury.
“In that place we have Jesus Navas, we have Raheem Sterling, we have David Silva, we have Brandon Barker. Fabian Delph can play also on that side with two strikers.”
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