Manuel Pellegrini paid tribute to Kelechi Iheanacho after he starred in Manchester City ’s win over Sporting Kansas City on Thursday but admitted that the Premier League champions may struggle to secure a work permit for the teenage Nigerian striker, Daily Mail reports.
Iheanacho, 17, capped an impressive appearance by scoring the last of City’s goals in a 4-1 win at Sporting Park and Pellegrini is convinced he has a bright future in the game.
City beat a host of European clubs to sign Iheanacho after he scored six goals in seven games to claim the Golden Ball at last summer’s Under-17 World Cup.
Pellegrini said, ‘Kelechi is just 17 years old and he’s a very important player for us in the future. He demonstrated today what he can do in the future. It depends on the way he takes this profession, but I think he’s a good talent.
“We’ve not decided yet (what the plan is for him) because it’s not easy. He’s just 17 and sometimes that’s the problem. We’ll see what he will do in the future. For the moment, he will stay with us and we’ll see when we return to England what will happen with him. But he’s a very important player for the future for the club.
“After the tour, we will see what happens with him. There are a lot of things to arrange to play in England but he has an important future.”
