Opinion: AFCON 2019: Kelechi Iheanacho Needs Help

IHEANACHO SURELY NEEDS HELP NOW..... By Desmond Ekwueme The Egypt 2019 AFCON is around the corner. Kelechi Iheanacho is one of the Super Eagles forwards likely to make Gernot Rohr's 23-man squad for the tournament which Nigeria last won six years ago under Late Stephen Okechukwu Keshi. Nacho as he is fondly called is one of our goalscoring hopes. Super Eagles should be going into this tournament with the mindset of winning given that the team fumbled at Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup despite the huge motivation it got from the Private sector, NFF, Federal Government and Nigerians. Eagles cannot afford to fail or complain or even give Nigerians any flimsy excuse in Egypt. But looking at the current club performances of the likely attackers to be fielded in Egypt, it is not out of place to say that Super Eagles may end the AFCON with baskets of complains, buckpassing, blames and excuses like we have witnessed in previous tournaments. Recall that a couple of strikers returned from the World Cup in Russia to apologise to Nigerians after fluffing begging chances that should have taken the team beyond the group stage. Yakubu Aiyegbeni did the same in South Africa 2010 World Cup. Yesterday, millions of Nigerians including Yours Sincerely who love Kelechi Iheanacho were pained when he threw away a begging chance to equalise the 1-0 lead by his former club Manchester City in that end of the season cracker. Leicester City is eyeing a Europa Cup place. Iheanacho was presented with an opportunity to score and play his way back into the first team of Leicester City. He has been in the cooler since joining the club in a £25m five-year deal. He has been struggling to impress. He is the least in the perking order of the strikers at Leicester City....then came this opportunity to right his "wrongs"...score a crucial goal, pay back City in their own coin, pull a draw, secure a vital point and bounce back into reckoning. But match rustiness was his greatest undoing. His confidence level was at the lowest ebb. The situation and big occasion overwhelmed him....and he became worse than he was before the game. This boy needs our support and prayers since he still has age on his side. We should not be talking about the AFCON but to save his career because after Leicester City, only God knows where next this chap will land. Certainly no top club or agent or scout is looking his direction at the moment. Something is really wrong with Nacho. It needs to be fixed before he fades away from top flight too soon. I advocate spiritual solution to his problem. Prayers, prayers and prayers only. We know of former big name players who faced worse situations or experienced greater problems including career threatening injuries. But overcame when they returned home on holidays to visit some Men of God who interceded on their behalf. Some even went on pilgrimage of Holy cities depending on their religion/faith to seek greater deliverance and power to overcome their temptations, challenges or problems. Iheanacho needs help!!! But I strongly believe it is not over for Iheanacho!!!