Marcus Rashford wasn’t the only teenager in the city of Manchester blowing people away with his goalscoring prowess. Over at the Etihad, 19-year-old Kelechi Iheanacho was making a name for himself as well with eight BPL goals and 14 in all competitions.
As a result, the 19-year-old Nigerian’s recent call-up to his nation’s Olympic squad has apparently caused some hand-wringing for the Manchester City coaches.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Man City have so far refused to answer Nigeria’s request to borrow Iheanacho for their upcoming Rio 2016 Olympic tournament.
Should Iheanacho join Nigeria for the Olympics, he would miss the bulk of the pre-season and potentially the start of the season if Nigeria were to advance past the group stage.
Nigeria head coach Samson Siasia expressed his frustration at Man City’s unwillingness to answer his request to bring in Iheanacho, adding that the 19-year-old has also been disappointed with how things have turned out this summer.
“The Nigeria Football Federation has written several letters to them wanting to know when the player would be released for the Games in Brazil but as I speak with you the club has not replied,” Siasia said.
“So for now I cannot confidently tell you that Iheanacho would be available for the Olympics, although we are not relenting on the issue as the NFF is fighting tooth and nail to ensure we have our best players for the Olympics.
“Kelechi also told me he is anxious to play in the Olympics and I am sure with much pressure the boy would be released eventually. But for now I cannot tell you he will be in the Olympics.”
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