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Iheanacho can’t replace Vardy at Leicester City – Heskey
With the 34-year-old nearing the twilight of his career, the former Foxes star has urged the club to start looking for the forward’s replacement
Former Leicester City forward Emile Heskey believes Kelechi Iheanacho is not the right man to replace Jamie Vardy as the club’s first-choice attacker.
Vardy, 34, is nearing the end of his illustrious career and has been a key member of the Foxes squad since teaming up with the side in 2012.
The forward has scored more than 120 goals for the King Power Stadium outfit, including his 23 strikes last season which saw him win the Premier League top-scorer award.
Iheanacho, on his part, has struggled to fully establish himself with the Foxes since joining the club from Manchester City in the summer of 2017.
The Nigeria international has only scored nine Premier League goals in 81 appearances for the Foxes and in the current campaign, he is yet to open his account in the division.
Heskey has advised the Foxes to look elsewhere for Vardy's replacement as Iheanacho would struggle to fill the void of the 34-year-old if he leaves the club.
"When Vardy doesn't play you see a difference in the way they play and effectiveness of them going forward," Heskey told Premier League Productions.
"They haven't quite found someone who could actually fill that gap and this is what they are going to be looking at. Can Iheanacho be that next player? I can't see it so they have to go and get someone else.
"I don't know if there are any youth players that can actually take up that mantle now and play them in certain games so they have to go and look out for a new Jamie Vardy".
Iheanacho will hope to get some minutes under his belt when Leicester City take on Brentford in a FA Cup tie on January 24.
The Super Eagles forward has featured in 18 games this season for the King Power Stadium outfit and has three goals and four assists to his name across all competitions.
Leicester climbed to the top of the league table following their victory over Chelsea on Tuesday, where Iheanacho’s compatriot Wilfred Ndidi scored his first league goal of the season.
Notwithstanding his inconsistency at Leicester, Iheanacho remains a key member of the Nigeria national team.
The forward recently helped the Super Eagles move closer to qualifying for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations with his performances against Sierra Leone in November.
