Celtic boss raises concerns about Super Eagles star ahead of St. Mirren clash

Celtic head coach Martin O’Neill has spoken about Kelechi Iheanacho’s limited gametime since the turn of the year, Afrik Foot reports.

The 29-year-old has played just 148 minutes since the turn of the year, all of which have come from the bench.

Tomás Cvancara has been O’Neill’s preferred choice up front, but the decision hasn’t gone down well with Kelechi Iheanacho.

Celtic boss O’Neill assures Iheanacho of minutes

The Hoops are currently second on the SPFL table, and need as many points as they can get in the run-in.

Iheanacho, after scoring against Kilmarnock last time out, made it clear he wants to start games.

However, his demands have been met with a soft decline by the Celtic coach.

“You saw him last Sunday. He was up kicking every ball, desperate to get on. When he did, he made an impact, which is great,” the 74-year-old said in quotes revealed by Celtic News.

“He is fired up. I said to him, at 29 he should be at the peak of his career. He tells me he is at the peak of his career, which is a bit of a concern for me.

“He’s got a lot of natural ability. You can see it in training. He’s terrific, you can see why he’s been a player at a club like Manchester City.

“He’ll be on the pitch at some stage and he’s earned it. However, it’s something we’re not sure about because there’s a decent chance he wouldn’t last the game.

“If he stays fit between now and the end of the season, we’ll need him,” O’Neill concluded.

Despite his brilliant outing off the bench last week, O’Neill still benched Iheanacho against St. Mirren, starting Tomás Cvancara instead.