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Pep Guardiola will enjoy working with Kelechi Iheanacho at Man City, says Manuel Pellegrini

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Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini hailed the performance of Kelechi Iheanacho following his side's 4-0 win over Stoke

Manuel Pellegrini thinks Kelechi Iheanacho has a big future under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

Iheanacho struck twice as Manchester City moved up to third after condemning Stoke to their second 4-0 defeat in a week.

After winning the penalty in the first half, the impressive Iheanacho got in on the act himself after the interval, making sure of the victory with two expertly-taken goals on 64 and 74 minutes to seal a comfortable victory ahead of Tuesday's Champions League date with Real Madrid.

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"A player that scores two goals and earns a penalty is obviously a very good performance especially for a striker. Not only that, he moved very well and received a lot of the ball. I'm happy for him as he's a young player with a lot of condition. He will be very important for the future of this team." 

The result sees City leapfrog Arsenal into third - until the Gunners play on Sunday at least - and open up a five-point gap rivals Manchester United in fifth. 

Pellegrini was delighted with what he saw and thought it was the perfect preparation for the visit of Real Madrid.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 23:  Kelechi Iheanacho of Manchester City celebrates scoring his second and his
Image: Kelechi Iheanacho won a penalty and scored two for Manchester City

He said: "I think it was the perfect match. It was important to have our mind focused on this game and not on Tuesday.

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"Big teams must be able to have their minds in all competitions and have good performances in them.

"Like I said though, it was exactly the same against Paris Saint-Germain - we had played well against Bournemouth in the days before. It's a good way to prepare for the Champions League."

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