Manuel
Pellegrini expects Kelechi Iheanacho to play a significant role in Manchester City's title challenge after the
Nigerian teenager's first goal for the club secured a dramatic 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace.
Iheanacho,
who has the appropriate middle name of Promise, burst onto the Premier League
stage on Saturday when he scored the 90th minute winner at Selhurst Park
moments after appearing as a late substitute in only his second appearance for
City.
City
manager Pellegrini has high hopes for the Nigeria under-20 international and
admits the player's development persuaded him he did not need to bring in a
replacement after Edin Dzeko left for Roma.
"He's
a very important player for us. He's just 18 and started working with our squad
last season, but he was unlucky and had a big injury in the last three months
of the season," Pellegrini said.
"This
year he started pre-season with the squad and will be a very important player
for the future.
"He's
one of the reasons I didn't bring another striker in when we sold Edin Dzeko.
He deserves that chance. I told him to go and score a goal.
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