‘Downright Lazy’: Sutton Slams Iheanacho as Celtic Struggles Deepen

Kelechi Iheanacho has come under fierce criticism after Celtic’s defeat to Dundee United, with former striker Chris Sutton branding him ‘downright lazy’ during his analysis on the Record Celtic podcast.

The Nigerian forward was handed his first start since the Premier Sports Cup final, but Sutton was left unimpressed by his performance, insisting it highlighted the muddled state of Martin O’Neill’s side.

‘I don’t know how you guys felt, but it was a shock to me Iheanacho starting,’ Sutton said. ‘His last start was the cup final. Then he had the cameos against Stuttgart, 20‑minute cameos, and then he missed the games over the weekends after those cameos. It just shows you what a mess, what a muddle Celtic are in. And that’s not ideal.’

Sutton argued that James McFadden’s advice to Iheanacho, to conserve energy by ‘not running about as much’, was misguided, pointing to the striker’s lack of effort in the defeat.

‘I think there were times in the first half where he was just downright lazy. He didn’t work hard enough when balls were being played forward to actually get in a position where he could even be challenging for a ball and a knock down,’ Sutton said.

‘Maybe fatigue had something to do with that, but it’s been the story of Celtic’s season in the final third.”