Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola with Kelechi Iheanacho (Reuters)
Nigeria striker Kelechi Iheanacho is expected to prefer training with his club Manchester City for the pre-season preparations over serving his national team at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The 19-year-old has been called-up for Nigeria’s provisional 35-man squad, but he is yet to speak with Guardiola who wants him skip Olympics.
“If your country wants you to play for them, surely you have to go, but it is not up to me to decide. It’s not left for me to decide whether or not I go to the Olympics. My team and my country,” the player was quoted as saying on the Guardian.
The Olympics will take place between 5 and 21 August, which means the player would miss the final week of pre-season preparation.
“I think we will meet him in training,” he said.
Iheanacho joined City in January 2014, scoring 14 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions.
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