Leicester City manager, Enzo Maresca has claimed he is not certain when Kelechi Iheanacho will be fit enough to return to action.
Iheanacho is currently working his way back to full fitness from a muscle injury.
The 27-year-old is also battling to be fit for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Read Also:AFCON 2023: I Would Be Happy If Egypt Crash Out In The Group Stage —Klopp
Asked about the the forward’s fitness level ahead of the Foxes Emirates FA Cup clash against Millwall, Maresca stated that Iheanacho is recovering fast, but is not sure of his return date.
“I don’t know,” the Italian was quoted by the club’s official website.
“The only thing I can say it that Kel is still injured. It’s getting better but it’s still not 100 per cent otherwise he would be in the squad for tomorrow and he’s not in the squad.”
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A PLAYERS THAT DIDN’T PLAY THE LAST FIVE MATCHES FOR HIS CLUB. IS NOT GOING TO PARTICIPATE IN TRAINING WITH HIS COLLEAGUES IN U.A.E. FOR AFCON. AND PASEIRO WANT TO TAKE HIM TO AFCON. THEN PEOPLE SHOULD TELL ME HOW IS HE GOING TO BLEND WITH LATEST TACTICS APPROACH IN TRAINING IN UAE.
IS IT A MUST FOR PASEIRO TO TAKE UNFIT (not 100% fit) PLAYER TO AFCON. OR ARE WE NOT HAVE OTHER BETTER PLAYERS THAT IS 100% FIT IN LOCAL LEAGUE OR IN EUROPE. INFACT WE ARE NOT SERIOUS IN THIS COUNTRY. EVEN IN LAST WORLD CUP, BENZEMA HAD INJURY THAT WILL ONLY LAST FOR ONE WEEK PERIOD BEFORE THE START OF FRANCE FIRST MATCH, BUT FRENCH COACH DROPS HIM.
**** WHY PASEIRO WANT TO TAKE NOT 100% FIT IHEANACHO TO AFCON????????????
@ TalkYourOwn Are you sure you’re a Nigerian? Do you think it’s all the 25 or 27 players that must or will play the Afcon matches???? We are going to a tournament with an Average coach and yet you want us to leave a very reliable player behind. I’m tired of having to deal with porous thinking persons. Moffi that some of you have been screaming for to be included doesn’t shake body when playing for Nigeria just like his friend Dennis. Kele that does the dirty job of bailing out the team and you’re witch hunting him. Carry on!!!
CAF said only 23 players they can cater to but teams can make it 25 or at most 27 but AT THE TEAMS’ EXPENSES. Nigeria took 25 with one unsure of. Is it not better to have all fit than to make one look indispensable even after not playing for nearly a month? It is okay that goalie hadn’t played much in the past year and is still a nation’s number one; you want to still play short one. Hoping on hope or is it against hope.
Coach average? That’s a pass mark. The one we have is block head.
Good thing FG wants to clear his backlog of owed salaries.
A bad shepherd will never lead his sheep to quality pastures. Who prepares for a tourney depending on the creativity of his troupes? Who does that?
Anybody opinion that is contrary to the popular opinion is not a Nigerian..na wa o for una here o
What are you even saying? U are talking as if we all don’t know this Kelechi. He’s a good player no doubt, but reliability is definitely not one of his qualities. He turns to parties when he wants, and for me, he’s not one to rely on going to this Afcon. However, I believe the coach is right to have included him on the list despite being injured, he’s an intelligent player and when he’s fully back, he can turn up in some games. You guys need to chill with the way u hype players. And i really hope this is because he’s from your region. We really need to see beyond tribe….
@Aka, you are neither here nor there. “Reliability is not one of his qualities but he turns up when fully fit”
Talking from both sides of your mouth, then end it all by displaying your tribal inclination. What a shame.
Stop the tribal talk if you have nothing good to contribute.
But @TalkYourOwn, you sure know that no matter how we try to paint it, all players are not equal. Argentina will never drop a 70% fit Messi for anyone, neither will France replace a recuperating Mbappe. There are some players that would have been replaced immediately, but not the most experienced striker in the SE. Ndidi was replaced cos his injury was major, but Kel’s is making a quick recovery, please cut him some slack.
Or go and watch the highlights of Nigeria’s last few matches and sincerely say who has been getting us out of tricky situations, starting with the opener against Egypt at the last Afcon in Cameroun. Osimhen is lethal, but Kelechi packs a bullet in his boots and is super precise with his aims with currently the highest conversion rate in the SE.
So if you were the coach, you’d drop such a player who’s close to recovery (70-80%)?
So you dnt have other instance than using benzema in every post since last week? You are the same guy that predicted the coach shd invite iwuala the last time, guy join the readers association if you gat nothing important to contribute here now habba.
I think the coach doesn’t want to release him for afcon, if not he shouldn’t pessimistic about his player recovery like this. All the same Nigeria have options enough for replacement
This Leicester coach doesn’t regard Africa, a player that should be in camp and you’re talking about next match. Yes he is recovering fast but you don’t know when he will resume. Resume with who??? Fatawu of Black stars was not encouraged to go and rep Ghana that is why he opted out of the afcon and he’s trying his best to cajole Kelechi to give up as well. Leicester is first and has a lot of players doing it yet he is playing some disgusting game with the African teams. Kelechi Iheanacho it’s up to you to do whatever you want.
Good morning my people, I think the only things the nnf should do now is to summon kele to come to Nigeria by telling his club that our own medics team will access his fitness we shouldn’t all any Coach to jeopardize our afon ambission.
Lol. Who has the best medics? Leicester or our national team that the FA chairman already became the team’s medical doctor? Is gusau aware that recovering from muscle strain is different from being match fit? Is he aware that ihenacho can be roughly tackled in a match and the injury occurs again?
A foreigner will not love Nigeria more than Nigerians.
They said access not treat. Too many low IQ in this new generation and you think you’re making a smart conversation. Too think our local medics can not access a players fitness should tell where you’re coming from!!!!
Yea…typical him…insulting everyone around like say na him buy phone for them. No smart person does that, only the dumb ones pass messages across with insults. Saying someone has a low IQ as if we don’t see the tons of rubbish you write here daily.
@Aka, you should not have dignified him with a response.
There is this scripture that guides me:
“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.” (Proverbs 26:4-5)
Dr. Drey and a few others love to obey the latter but I prefer to ignore personal attacks.
When people leave the substance (topic) and pursue shadows (attacks), when they neither see a glass as half empty nor half full but choose to throw diatribes at who even had time to engage them, it is waste of time taking them on.
I cringe when people disable comments due to negative remarks. Not worth it. Many bask on anonymity.
As long as the commenter can never create a strand of hair on my head, their insult are like dirt to be washed away from the body.
Drey, Monkey Post even Self Made have power to trade tackles with such persons but not me.
If CS had disabled comments, people who feel as if they have released dopamine by insults would be extinct.
Buhari was cursed, vilified but did virtual insults hurled at him work?
Don’t waste time replying negatives. Stick with the ones who enjoy robust arguments.
I never claimed I have monopoly of football knowledge. But watch out when someone makes remarks against you instead of your arguments. You made more sense!
The both of you are birds of same feather. The fact you’re using the Bible to confirm your stupidity even fits you better. Proverbs also tells that when a fool is corrected he gets upsets and hates you. No wonder you’re going mad because your wisdom has failed to tell you that a player who will be beneficial at the important stage of a tournament should not be discarded when showing signs of recovery. Kelechi inclusion will do Nigeria more good than harm and only mediocre minds will dispute this that is put it up to you and your clone I.d Aka to go and search for wisdom. James1:5
Another senseless Zoogeria I won’t even explain shi for you to understand anything. Thank God you’re not the coach!!!
@Sly am also surprised NFF chairman keep assuring that Kele will be fit for the tournament . Signals from Leicester is telling NFF that he should be replaced yet NFF doesn’t want to . By now another player should have been called in preferably Tella evacuees of his midfield role . Calling on Moffi to replace Kele to me makes no sense we need players that can play from the middle and supply our attackers balls.
NFF is playing tricks on our mind and it will be disastrous if they know Kele wont be fit for the tournament and not replace him.
That is why I believe the national team is like a cult.
How will a player who practically missed “tactics sessions” – feelers from the team camp say training occurs twice a day until friendly against Guinea on Monday – for one week, suddenly blend into the team setup assuming he is fully recovered (not match fit) and be ready to compete in our matches every 4 days (3 matches in under 2 weeks) and expect NO disruptions in the team?
It is either the mafia of the team chooses players to line up in the team (since the technical department is dead by listing unfit players (one is in the team to “provide leadership” for people who should naturally be motivated to be favored to represent the country in any case) or the coach believes he has already failed so his trusted hands might as well fail with him.
I heard a new keeper in camp did so well in training yesterday but mafia team is a mafia team. Eagles need a pharaoh that does not know Joseph.
You can’t expect to build something on quicksand and expect it not to crumble.
Why risk Kel in African football contest where it is called “physical football”? An opponent is only yellow card away from ruling him out of AFCON (and blocking his chance with the championship team too) yet mafia says no.
I don’t expect anything from the team anyway but we could have unearthed a player for future tournaments if we are not fixated on incorporating injured players in a list of 25!
Does that not show lack of ambition in the first place? Eagles should get a new pharaoh that will be fearless to blood new players ahead future tournaments.
Someone wrote our midfield had always been 2-man midfield for some time. Is it not the gaffer that should change that if he wants a new ideology?
Why would he when our strikers must all be on the list and then play in unfavourable positions? The dearth of ball jugglers is because our strikers are more than legion and everyone wants to outshine the other.
How has that helped us over the last few years? We expect a different result this time?
Peserio is still predictable. His lineup will not change.
This guy, you are just ranting. Which Mafia rumour are you now projecting? Mention names. If not, zip it. You say you ‘heard’ stuff. From who? Me too, I ‘heard’ that you didn’t hear anything. You are just venting your frustration.
Relax.
This guy, you are just ranting. Which Mafia rumour are you now projecting? Mention names. If not, zip it. You say you ‘heard’ stuff. From who? Me too, I ‘heard’ that you didn’t hear anything. You are just venting your frustration.
Relax.
There’s mafia in NFF otherwise what do you say to this https://youtube.com/shorts/LzvCqkNs2o8?si=Q8A3RYPbiZDk6G0H.just ordinary NFF past president with this luxury car and we say this new president shouldn’t buy his own evn if eagles would crash let it be so
Understand that whatever NFF the chairman is saying is based on the information received from Kelechi himself. He’s assured the coach and the chairman that he’s okay and will be fit for the tournament forget what Leicester coach is saying, he’s only trying to restrict from participating
Which is better? Forcefully attend a tournament you could not play in (because this is not like the faith Australia had for Sam Kerr at the last women’s world cup since Eagles are doomed to crash out early) and risk being benched club wise for the rest of the season even if Eagles will still call him up for AFCON 2025 qualifiers in March (as he is apparently indispensable) OR stay in club, recover well and get match fit by more club appearances to be ready for other qualifiers?
Uzoho, for example, has only 11 clean sheets in 34 national team appearances yet he was more vilified when he didn’t man the goal of his club. Inactivity decreases productivity.
With the posture of Leicester coach that both ndidi and ihenacho “would be sent back by Nigeria”, is it not better to save his career by letting him “rest”?
Ihenacho may not have the “graces” of Musa, from Nigerian fans in the long run if he is inactive for club
Some comments are just so annoying. Was it not awaziem that faked injury to attend the 2019 nations cup. can’t really recollect, and wasted his time on the bench. Why are we making Kels indispensable. He only shows up to the occasion when he feels like. Please let him stay back and give other players a chance. If Musa can make the team what stops Nwakali, moffi and co from going. So the extra coaches this man brought will now take the spot of 2 more eligible players. And he is not saying the NFF mandated him to take 25 players, so who is paying for this new coaches? WE ARE REALLY CRAZY IN THAT COUNTRY
I have said it so many times. Nacho should be dropped, but so many people on this forum misunderstood me.
There’s no way Nacho would be fully fit for the tournament. Tell me how? A player that his club coach said did not fit, but the Super Eagles coach and the NFF insisted that Nacho have to be in Ivory Coast.
Uzoho is match rusty as well while Nacho is not fully fit. Now, NFF and the coach are deceiving themselves, not Nigerians, by telling us that we are the favorite to win the Afcon trophy.
We have two important players that should be included in the Super Eagles. Dessers and Nwakali.
These two players are good enough to be in Ivory Coast, but because of NFF pockets, they are careless. The coach will mess up our Super Eagles because of NFF corruption.
Amaju sold us this coach called Paseiro and now the former NFF president is enjoyed his life with an exotic car while government refused to arrest Amaju Pinnick.
Now I know Nacho is a selfish person. If Ndidi were like him, Ndidi would have made it to Ivory Coast.
Fellow Nigerians please lend me your ears, without Nacho, Super Eagles can achieve anything. We appreciate Nacho a lot for his efforts in the national team, but he is not fit this time around to be part of the team, and he should be replaced immediately.
That said. Nigerians are less concerned because of our attackers but can’t you all more concerned of our midfield and the attackers. Who can distribute and dictate the midfield in the Super Eagles like Nwakali?
Can Osimhen and other strikers in the team get more chances to score as many goals as possible without a natural creative midfielder?
The connection between both departments are not working yet and we are going to see that on Monday.
Dessers on the other hand
The coach of the Super Eagles may make Uzoho Nigeria number one, so who is wishing Super Eagles bad between we the fans and thr coach/NFF?
I don’t expect so much from Oga Paseiro and his employer, though, but Nigeria image is at stake. I can only wish Super Eagles the best. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
Bring this bring that, he’s fit he is not. Just matter of time
Just a matter of time, he will heal.
Time will tell