Leicester forward Kelechi Iheanacho has lifted the lid on the difficult times he went through before regaining his best form in recent months.
Iheanacho joined the Foxes from Manchester City in 2017 but struggled to make an impact in his first three years at the club.
The 24-years old is back to his best, leading his club to the FA Cup final where they will face Chelsea, and was named March’s Premier League player of the month.
Iheanacho credits hard work for his upturn in fortunes and thanked the staff at the King Power stadium as well as his close friend Wilfred Ndidi for standing by him during the dark days.
“I think a lot of people wrote me off, but I never lost faith in myself,” he told BBC Sport Africa.
“I was going through a crazy and difficult time when things just didn’t work out for me.
“But I’ve worked extremely hard, and also have the manager and other staff at Leicester, and most importantly my brother and friend Wilfred [Ndidi] who stood by me.
“It’s been a really tough ride but I’m just delighted it’s all come together for me.”
Iheanacho is Leicester City’s top goalscorer this season with 18 goals.
