Aguero will miss the next three matches including the Manchester derby after being found guilty of violent conduct.
Kelechi Iheanacho celebrates after scoring the second goal for Manchester City
Manchester City star striker Sergio Aguero has been found guilty for violent conduct following his elbow on West Ham United’s Winston Reid last weekend.
The 28-year-old will now have to watch the crucial Manchester derby from the sidelines as both City and United aim to keep their perfect start to the season intact.
But in the absence of Aguero and also Wilfried Bony, who joined Stoke City on transfer deadline day, Pep Guardiola looks set to turn to 19-year-old Nigerian Kelechi Iheanacho for the crucial Premier League match.
Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero
Aguero has bagged six goals in three matches for City already this season and will undoubtedly be a big miss given the fact he has netted an impressive eight goals against the Red Devils during his time in the Premier League.
But it may not be time to panic just yet as Iheanacho is quickly emerging as one of the top flight’s most promising and effective young forwards – as these stats show.
| Team | Season | Total Scoring Att | Ontarget Scoring Att | Goals | Scoring V Shooting Accuracy | Mins per goal | Goal Assist | Aerial Won | Touches | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelechi Iheanacho | Man City | 2015-2016 | 28 | 12 | 8 | 29% | 93.88 | 1 | 14 | 513 | 26 | 751 |
Last season the youngster netted eight times in 28 appearances which doesn’t sound overly impressive, but given the fact that he only played 751 minutes it is actually very commendable.
Kelechi Iheanacho scores the fourth goal for Manchester City
In fact, Iheanacho averaged one goal every 93 minutes and 53 seconds, a stat that surpasses even Aguero’s record of one every 99 minutes.
Much like Man United man Marcus Rashford, Iheanacho’s pace and efficiency in front of goal make him one of the Premier League’s most feared young strikers.
Most teams would be very apprehensive after losing their key goalscorer ahead of one of their biggest games of the season but if Iheanacho’s stats are anything to go by then Aguero may not be as big a miss as first feared.
The Argentine is and will always be the preferred choice up front – but should his teenage teammate manage to grab his opportunity to impress with both hands, then Guardiola will be a very happy manager.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
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