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Kelechi Iheanacho vs Gabriel Jesus: why Man City were right to let Iheanacho leave in 2017

24-year-old Nigerian international Kelechi Iheanacho bagged an impressive hat-trick against Sheffield United on Sunday, leading some of the twitterverse to suggest that Manchester City were wrong to let him leave in 2017 and that he is better than the man who replaced him – Gabriel Jesus.

These people are wrong. For now at least.

This is of course just my opinion; such claims can only ever be objective, but through stats and the eye test itself, there is only one winner.

Since the start of the 2017/18 season when Iheanacho joined the Foxes for £25 million, Gabriel Jesus has scored 41 Premier League goals. In the same period, Iheanacho has just 15. Both of them were young players (Jesus is exactly six months younger) playing second fiddle to established strikers for high-scoring teams.

Of course, players like Roberto Firmino are living case studies of how modern strikers can be successful without being goalscoring machines, but Iheanacho is not like Firmino. His role has rarely been anything other than a poaching striker, for whom 15 goals in three-and-a-half seasons is a poor record.

Jesus is a more complete player, though arguably not a more lethal finisher. Pep Guardiola’s teams do not carry passengers, and it seems likely that the decision to sell Iheanacho was in part influenced by the Nigerian’s one-dimensional game.

A hat-trick against the Premier League’s bottom side is no mean feat but is not something to get carried away with. What was impressive was the nature of his second and third goals, lethal finishes when a goal was far from an assured outcome.

Jamie Vardy is 34 and will not be able to lead Leicester’s attack for many more years. The last three games have suggested that Iheanacho is capable of filling Vardy’s shoes, with improved overall play coming hand-in-hand with goals, but consistency remains among the biggest concerns Foxes fans will have.

Despite also scoring against Burnley and Brighton earlier in March, Iheanacho has just six goals in the Premier League this season. Jesus only has seven however, despite playing nearly double the number of minutes. Clearly, neither player has had a great campaign.

Like Vardy, Sergio Aguero will not be around forever, perhaps not even next season. Jesus has long been touted to take the mantle as the first-choice striker but has failed to fully convince thus far. It’s hard to question Pep Guardiola’s transfer business when he always seems to back it up with trophies. Iheanacho was shipped out in the summer of 2017 and City won the title immediately after that. Clearly, on a team and tactical level, his decision was vindicated.

The best may be yet to come from both Jesus and Iheanacho, and the Leicester striker may well surpass his Brazilian counterpart in the near future. But up to now Jesus has had by far the superior career and has been the better player. Don’t let a hat-trick against Sheffield United convince you otherwise.

Sam Hanys

A miserable Ipswich Town fan.

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