Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho is ready to step up his game and replace Sergio Aguero in this weekend’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
Aguero has been hit with a three-game suspension for an attempted elbow on West Ham defender Winston Reid and will miss City’s trip to United on Saturday.
Iheanacho, 19, said yesterday that Aguero’s absence leaves a big hole in the side – but insists he can fill the void if Pep Guardiola selects him.
“Sergio’s suspension is a big loss but we have a lot of big players to turn to,” he told The Sun. “If I get picked I’m going to do my job.
“Games like this mean a lot and it doesn’t come bigger than a derby.”
Iheanacho signed a new deal recently that will keep him at the club until 2021.
He scored 14 goals in all competitions last season and finished the campaign with the best goals-to-minute ratio in the Premier League.
Guardiola has been impressed with his quality – and he is high on confidence after scoring a stunning strike that helped Nigeria beat Tanzania in the Nations Cup qualifier’s game last week