Iheanacho: We Must Fight
- Kelechi Iheanacho wants Leicester City to fight for 90 minutes against Huddersfield Town on Saturday
- The Foxes head to West Yorkshire for their fifth fixture of the Premier League campaign
- Iheanacho scored against the Terriers in the Emirates FA Cup last term
Craig Shakespeare’s men make the trip to the John Smith’s Stadium for the first time since April 2014 as they take on the Premier League new boys.
Iheanacho, who scored for Manchester City against the Terriers last term in the Emirates FA Cup, knows that it will be a big battle for his side at the weekend, but believes showing mettle will stand them in good stead in West Yorkshire.
“Every team that’s promoted to the Premier League wants to stay, they don’t want to go back,” said the Foxes frontman. “If they get a win, they could maybe go high up the table.
“They’re doing well to be up there and I’ve played them before in a cup game for Man City. They’re a really good side. We need to go there and fight for 90 minutes. They’re at home so they’ll feel comfortable. We need to fight and get three points.
“It would be a big boost for us to get three points. We’ve lost three games and have three points, so we need to keep working hard. As we prepare, they are too, so we need to do more to get what we want.
“We’re down there at the bottom but that’s not what we want. We want to be up there. Everyone that’s watching us knows that we’re playing well and doing well in every game, but the points are not coming.
“That’s what we need to put in place to make sure that we get three points against Huddersfield.”
Due to a toe injury picked up in pre-season, Iheanacho has featured only twice for the Foxes this term, but on Monday night, he benefitted from 80 minutes for the Development Squad, a well as getting on the scoresheet.
Discussing his fitness, he said: “I’m great and feeling good. It’s always good to be back. I had a long game – 80 minutes – and it was great to get that.
“It was a great game and I enjoyed it. It will help me get my confidence back. They really work hard and when I watched them, they’re like machines.
“It’s always good to score. As a striker, I love scoring and when we’re not, we’re not that happy. It’s a great thing to score and I’m happy to get a goal and to help the team to get three points.”
While frustrated with his injury at the start of the term, the Nigeria international says he is fully prepared for when called upon by manager Shakespeare.
Iheanacho added: “It’s a bit frustrating but as a player you need to be ready to accept anything from the football field. If it’s an injury or anything else, you just need to accept it because it will come at some point.
“Players need to be strong when they have injuries. Mostly, as a striker, you’re there to score goals so it’s a bit frustrating but it’s not that bad. I’m getting better and fitter now.”