Nigeria's George Ilenikhena keeps proving his worth to Al-Ittihad. He was back among the goals against Al-Diriyah in the eleventh round of the Saudi Roshn Pro League, underlining his status as one of the key weapons the Dean are leaning on this season.
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The Nigerian striker struck in the 30th minute, pouncing superbly on a rebound after his team-mate Rios saw a shot parried by the goalkeeper. Once again, his predator's instinct and his knack for finishing off chances inside the box came to the fore.
His most striking numbers this season go beyond that goal against Al-Diriyah. Whenever Ilenikhena starts, he delivers. He has scored 8 goals and laid on 3 assists in his 8 starts, a tally of 11 goal contributions from those matches alone.
Across all competitions, Ilenikhena has featured in 12 matches for Al-Ittihad this season, one of those off the bench. That spread shows how much impact he carries whether he begins from the first minute or bides his time among the substitutes.
Those numbers hand Al-Ittihad an attacking weapon that is hard to ignore. Ilenikhena isn't content simply to round off moves and score. He chips in with chances for his team-mates too, which makes him a vital cog in the side's attacking machine.
With the race hotting up, the focus shifts to whether the Nigerian can keep up this scoring rate. Al-Ittihad need to squeeze every drop out of their attacking talent to keep banking points and climbing the Roshn League table.
Eight goals and three assists tell their own story. Ilenikhena's threat doesn't stop at the back of the net. It stretches to making the difference wherever he finds space and a sniff of a chance, and that makes him one of the trump cards Al-Ittihad are banking on in the matches ahead.