Kelechi Iheanacho issue shouldn't overshadow Nigeria's Olympic prep

Kelechi Iheanacho would arguably perform well at the Olympics, but he must wait to earn his place.

There is plenty to be said for having a star player of genuine, game-changing quality on a football squad, especially one that is heading for a major tournament. In Kelechi Iheanacho, Nigeria have a youngster with the slowly realising potential to be among the best the country has produced.
It explains why Samson Siasia is so keen to have him as part of his Olympic team for the Games in Rio this summer. That desire has hit a snag, however, with the Nigeria coach lamenting early this week that numerous letters from the federation to Iheanacho's club, Manchester City, have gone unanswered.
Siasia is still holding out hope that City will see reason and release the player in time for him to join the rest of the squad as they kick-start preparations. Lofty as that might seem, Siasia might as well give up the dream now, as ESPN FC understands that is unlikely to happen for a variety of reasons.
"Kelechi ended the season with a slight ankle injury, and the club told him to rest it, so playing at the Olympic Games will not be good for him, even if he wants to go," a source close to the player told ESPN FC.
"Then there's a new manager coming in. If he goes to the Olympics, he will miss preseason, and that's when the manager makes his plans for the upcoming campaign. He is a young player, his place is not certain, so he has to be there or fight for his place and make sure he is in the manager's plans. No matter how well he does at the Olympics, it won't help him if he misses preseason."
These are fairly rational reasons for the youngster, who has to find a balance between allegiance to his club and commitment to his nation. Losing his place at the club could affect his international chances, but the better he does at club level, the more valuable he is to the national team.

Siasia is dealing with the situation well at the moment, but it could all change.

Many will argue that Siasia should keep hope alive and even insist that City be compelled to release him. Apart from not being entirely feasible, there is the little matter of Iheanacho's not having been involved much with the U-23 squad. The team qualified without him and have done well so far without him. Although he would definitely add stardust, not to mention goals, to the squad, there is no guarantee that he would significantly help the team, especially while nursing an injury.
A precedent does exist. After being shoved into the U-20 squad as a late addition, Iheanacho started one game, played poorly and didn't see another game until Nigeria were eliminated from the World Cup. This could be a similar situation.
Rather than dwell on Iheanacho, Siasia can look to what he has and what he can have. There is plenty of quality under the age of 23 to fill whatever gap might be created. His captain, Azubuike Okechukwu, is an accomplished, goal-scoring midfielder with grit and intelligence. Also, Kelechi Nwakali can be borrowed from the U-20 team to add creativity.
He still has the likes of Oghenekaro Etebo to call on, and of course, there is also Alex Iwobi. Isaac Success is a name from left field who can definitely fill a need. Within the team, there are Taiwo Awoniyi, who rescued the team during the qualifying stages, and Victor Osimhen, who continues to show good form.
What Siasia needs to do is shut out the distraction of players who might or might not make his squad and focus on those he can definitely count on. His preparations are well on course. There is no need to be distracted by factors he cannot control.