Iheanacho fired up as Leicester seek first FA Cup final in 52 years

KELECHI Iheanacho believes his Leicester City side need to have extraordinary desire to reach their first FA Cup final since 1969.

The Foxes face Southampton in the second semi-final of the competition on Sunday at Wembley and the in-form Nigerian has urged his teammates to give it everything they have got.

“There’s quite a lot of excitement, but we need to take that to the game as well,” Iheanacho told LCFC TV. “We’re really working hard in training now to make sure we get what we need. That’s the most important thing now, to focus on the game.

“Obviously, we know what it’s about. We know how the Club really wants this. We know what it means. The most important part is to put in the hard work on the field of play, that’s what we need to do.

“So, that’s where we need to focus more and put our work in and then after the game, we’ll come out and be happy.”

The Super Eagles forward has been in prolific form in recent weeks, scoring nine goals in his last six appearances in all competitions, including the two goals in the 3-1 win over Manchester United that took Leicester City to their first FA Cup semi-final since 1982.

He acknowledges that Southampton, Manchester City and Chelsea also have ambitions of lifting the FA Cup trophy at Wembley in May, but wants Leicester to covet it more than the other contenders.

“We’ll always have that hunger and desire to win trophies,” Iheanacho noted. “Of course, other teams are preparing as well, but we need to need it more, we need to want it more.

“We need to sacrifice so many things, we need to sacrifice so many things and give our best shot. That’s what we need to do, in training and in the game.

“We need to do what we can, do our best, we need to work best in the game, we need to give extra, more than what we’ve been giving. So, that’s what we need to do as a team, and I think we are getting ready to do that.”

The 24-year-old is in the best form of his entire career and he won his first ever Premier League Player of the Month award in March.

Still, Iheanacho promises he can do even better with more hard work.

He added: “I’m in a good place at the moment now. I just need to keep applying it in the game and to keep helping my team. Hopefully, it will be applied in the game at the weekend by God’s grace.

“But I just need to put in the hard work everyday. I need to concentrate and work really hard. The form now is coming. It’s coming. I just need to really keep my head down and keep working hard so it will keep going.”

Iheanacho’s brace in the quarter-finals at King Power Stadium against Manchester United made him the all-time leading African goalscorer in the competition after surpassing Didier Drogba’s record of 12.

But the Nigerian is not too fussed about the record, at least for now.

“For me, personally, I don’t want to think about it too much,” he said. “I don’t want to lose my focus in the game.

“So, I think probably after this season, I will start thinking about it, but right now, there are big weeks now in the FA Cup and the Premier League, so I just need that concentration and determination to win games and make sure we get to where we want at the end of this season.

“And after that, then we can enjoy the moments that have come this season.”