Iheanacho doubtful for Sevilla start despite Cup heroics

Kelechi Iheanacho remains a huge doubt for a starting spot as Sevilla host Real Sociedad in a La Liga fixture at Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán on Sunday despite netting a brace in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey 3-1 win at modest Madrid club Las Rozas.

With regulars like Badé, Nianzou, Suso, Ejuke, and Nyland and García Pimienta still out injured, Coach Xavi Pimienta will once again rely on Iheanacho and all the youth players he called up for the Cup tie.

They are all expected to vie for starting spots, but Iheanacho will possibly miss the cut, having been widely criticised over a lack of fitness and a catalogue of missed scoring chances during the Cup tie.

“Iheanacho did not take advantage of the match against a team from the fifth national division to convince the coach of their imminent usefulness in the team,” wrote Juan Antonio Solis of popular Spanish outlet Diario de Sevilla.

He went on to state that the two easy goals the 28-year-old scored do not hide a stranded form.

“Weeks go by with conscientious work at the training ground and with an army of trainers with tablets in their hands, and Kelechi Iheanacho continues to show a physical condition that is not typical of professional football. Not even the two goals he scored (he had not scored for almost a year) hide his alarming physical performance, which was seen in several balls that he received with an advantage and which he wasted against amateur players,” he concluded.

Iheanacho joined Sevilla in the summer after his contract with Leicester City expired. He has made five league appearances, making the starting line-up on three of these occasions, with no goals to his name.

Speaking in a post-match press conference, Pimienta expects the best of the team against Sociedad, describing the match as highly demanding.

He said, “We have a more demanding match against Real Sociedad, an opponent that is playing in the Europa League and that plays incredible football with players of a very high level and internationals. The other day they had a slip-up against Osasuna at home, but you see the game they played in the Europa League or against Girona, and you see all the potential they have.