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The Super Eagles delivered a man-of-the-match performance for the Foxes after he was handed a rare start against the Villans.
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has explained his decision to start Kelechi Iheanacho in the Foxes’ win over Aston Villa on Saturday.
Leicester picked up their first league win this year as they stunned Aston Villa at Villa Park 4-2, with Iheanacho playing a crucial role.
Iheanacho's man-of-the-match performance
The Super Eagles star set up James Madison for the equaliser after Ollie Watkins put Villa ahead in the opening ten minutes.
Iheanacho then scored the second to restore parity for Leicester again after Watkins had put Villa ahead again.
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The former Manchester City then turned provider again as he provided the assist for new boy Tete to put Leicester ahead.
Dennis Praet sealed the win for the Foxes with a strike in the 79th minute but it was all about Iheanacho.
The Super Eagles star played 67 minutes of the encounter after he was handed a rare start by Rodgers.
Iheanacho had struggled for game time before Saturday, with the Super Eagles star’s last start in the league coming in September.
Tete parley with Iheanacho
However, following the win, Rodgers explained why he played Iheanacho from the start. The Leicester boss revealed Tete’s arrival changed things for Iheanacho.
“Tete was what I’ve been talking about for about 18 months, a right winger who can take the ball, pass the ball, look after the ball, make runs, and work. What a debut for him. It was really good,” Rodgers said as per Leicester Mercury.
“Because of that, because you have wingers and balance in the team, it allows Kels then to play in the spaces we created. The three of them were very good,” the former Liverpool manager added.
Tete was a loan signing from Shakhtar Donetsk, becoming the first Brazilian to play for the club. The 22-year-old’s arrival has benefitted Iheanacho, who led the line for Leicester in the clash against Villa.
Iheanacho and Tete did combine well, with the Super Eagles star setting up the Brazilian for the Foxes’ third goal.
The 26-year-old now has two goals and three assists in 15 league games for Leicester this season. Iheanacho will hope to continue his partnership with Tete when Leicester take on Tottenham next weekend.
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