The Nigerian international was an unused substitute since the foxes were eliminated from the competition after losing to the blues
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers explained why he left Kelechi Iheanacho on the bench in the 1-0 defeat of the FA on Sunday.
Ross Barkley’s 63rd minute winner at King Power Stadium ensured that the Foxes were eliminated from the competition.
Iheanacho offered excellent performances for Leicester in the second half of this campaign having fought early in the season.
The Nigerian national team has found the back of the net eight times and has so far provided four assists in 20 appearances in all competitions in this campaign.
The former Manchester City forward should have been introduced in the second half to boost the Foxes’ return to the game, but was surprisingly left on the bench during the match.
When asked about the reasons for his action, the Northern Ireland tactician revealed that he believed Jamie Vardy could save the day on his side.
“I was just looking at Jamie knowing he still looked cool,” said Rodgers, according to Leicester Mercury.
“We have heard it [Vardy] he could reach a goal, he doesn’t need many opportunities, so he was just waiting for it to come. So it was that simple. “
Iheanacho’s compatriot Wilfred Ndidi, however, was present for the entire game but could not help Leicester avoid the elimination.
The defeat against Stamford Bridge means that the Foxes are now winless in the last three games after the draws against Watford and Brighton and Hove Albion.
Iheanacho has appeared in 65 appearances since joining the team in the summer of 2017 by the citizens and has scored seven Premier League goals.
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The forward hopes to present and help Leicester return to victory when he faces Alex Iwobi’s Everton on Wednesday.
The King Power Stadium outfit is currently third on the Premier League table and will hope to win a place in the Champions League at the end of this campaign.
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