Manchester City are adapting to “a different way
of training” under Pep Guardiola, according to
teenage striker Kelechi Iheanacho, reports
goal.com.Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich
boss, Guardiola, has taken up the reins at the
Etihad Stadium, with League Cup holders City
aiming to bounce back from a disappointing
fourth-place finish in the Premier League last
time around.
Iheanacho was one of the success stories of City’s
final campaign under Manuel Pellegrini, with 12
goals in all competitions, and he is now getting to
grips with Guardiola’s famed style ahead of
tomorrow’s opening pre-season friendly against
Bayern.
“Guardiola is a good manager, everyone knows
that,” Iheanacho told Sky Sports.“He’s bringing
fresh thoughts and his own style. Everything is
different and everyone is adapting to what he’s
teaching us.
“We need to understand what he’s telling us and
what he wants to bring to the team,” he said.The
19-year-old retains a healthy respect for
Pellegrini, feeling indebted to the Chilean for
being allowed to make a first-team breakthrough
among a squad packed with big-money signings.
“He gave me that chance to play in the first team
and to come and show what I can do,” he
explained. “I will always be grateful to him,
anywhere he is and anywhere he goes.“I wish
him good luck and I pray that he gets a good
offer anywhere he goes. He is a great manager
and he will continue to be great.
“Last season was great for me and there were
some good highlights. Scoring my [first] goal
against Crystal Palace and playing against Real
Madrid in the Bernabeu, those were good
feelings.”
Iheanacho’s clinical finishing ability has him
marked out as a natural striker but he insists he
is capable of filling a number of roles across the
forward line – a quality that should be well-
suited to Guardiola’s fluid brand of attacking
football.“In my country, that’s where I started
playing – I was a number 10,” he added.“For my
club, I play more as a striker but I can play in
both positions. I can play as a striker or I can
play as a number 10.”
No comments:
Post a Comment