Michael Ihiekwe

Michael Ihiekwe

Personal information
Full name	Michael Ihiekwe[1]
Date of birth	20 November 1992
Place of birth	Liverpool, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Playing position	Central defender
Club information
Current team	Tranmere Rovers
Number	6
Youth career
	Liverpool
000?–2011	Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–2014	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0	(0)
2014	→ Cheltenham Town (loan)	13	(0)
2014–	Tranmere Rovers	93	(3)
National team
2015	England C
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:49, 11 August 2015 (UTC).

Michael Uzoukwu Absalom Jude Ihiekwe (born 20 November 1992) is an English footballer who plays as a central defender for Tranmere Rovers.

Career

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Ihiekwe was a member of his local side, Liverpool's academy system, before he was released during the 2010–11 season.^[2]

He soon joined the youth ranks of Wolverhampton Wanderers, with whom he signed a professional contract in 2011.^[3] In May 2012, Ihiekwe signed a contract extension after the club activated a one-year options.^[4] Although primarily only involved in youth fixtures, he has twice been an unused substitute for Wolves’ first team during the 2013–14 season.^[5]

He joined League Two side Cheltenham Town initially on a month-long loan in January 2014.^[6] Ihiekwe then made his senior debut on 25 January 2014 in a 1–1 draw at Plymouth Argyle,^[7] with his loan then being extended to run until the end of the season, during which he made 13 appearances.^[8]

The defender's contract at Wolves expired in summer 2014,^[9] and he departed after not making any appearances for the club.

Tranmere Rovers

After being released by Wolves, Ihiekwe signed a two-year deal with League Two side Tranmere Rovers on 18 June 2014.^[10] Upon joining the club, Ihiekwe stated he determined to fight for his place in the first team^[11] and was given number five shirt ahead of a new season.^[12]

Ihiekwe made his Tranmere Rovers debut in the opening game season, in a 1– 1 against York City, where he played 90 minutes.^[13] Since his debut, Ihiekwe established himself in the starting eleven in the central defence throughout the season. On 1 November 2014, Ihiekwe scored his first Tranmere Rovers goal, in a 2– 2 draw against Stevenage.^[14] However, during the season, Ihiekwe suffered ankle injury during the match against Cambridge United after a challenge that saw him stretched off the bench.^[15] But the injury wasn’t serious.^[16] But he made his return to the first team weeks later, in the third round in a 6– 2 loss against Swansea City.^[17] However, three weeks later, his return was short-lived when he suffered an injury that kept him out for weeks.^[18] After weeks on the sidelined, Ihiekwe made his return to the first team, coming on as a substitute for Rory Donnelly in the 81st minutes, in a 3– 2 loss against Portsmouth on 24 February 2015.^[19] After making his return, Ihiekwe regained his first team place towards the end of the season, but was unable to help the club, as they were relegated to the Conference Premier. Despite this, Ihiekwe made thirty-eight appearance for the club in his first season at Tranmere Rovers.

The 2015–16 season saw Ihiekwe switched shirt from number five to twelve, with Steve Jennings taking over the number five shirt.^[20] Ihiekwe started the season well when he scored his first goal of the season, in a 4-1 win over Gateshead.^[21] However, Ihiekwe was soon sidelined for months with a hamstring injury.^[22] After making his first team return in a 1–1 draw against Halifax Town on 19 December 2015,^[23] Ihiekwe scored his second goal of the season seven days later on 26 December 2015, in a 2-1 win over Macclesfield Town.^[24] Since his return, Ihielkwe managed to regain his first team place for the whole season, as he made thirty-five appearance, but was unsuccessful to help the club get back to promotion to League Two. As the season progress, Ihiekwe began to play in a full-back position, rather than in a central-back, under the management of Gary Brabin.^[25] At the end of the 2015–16 season, Ihiekwe was offered a new contract^[26] and signed a one-year contract extension on 1 June 2016.^[27]

International career

In September 2015, Ihiekwe was called up by England C.^[28]

Career statistics

As of match played 30 April 2016.

Club statistics

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Cheltenham Town (loan)	2013–14[29]	League Two	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	13	0
Tranmere Rovers	2014–15[30]	League Two	37	1	4	0	2	0	3[lower-alpha 1]	0	46	1
Tranmere Rovers	2015–16[31]	National League	35	2	0	0	0	0	0[lower-alpha 1]	0	35	2
Career total			74	3	4	0	2	0	0	0	94	3

1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy

References

1. "List of players under written contract registered between 01/06/2016 and 30/06/2016" (PDF). The Football Association. p. 33. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
2. "Starlet eyes 2010 improvement". Liverpool F.C. 12 February 2010. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.
3. "Scholars offered professional deals". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 11 March 2011. Archived from the original on 14 March 2011.
4. "Jody Craddock offered chance of Wolves deal". Express and Star. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
5. "Robins take the Michael". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 10 January 2014.
6. "Cheltenham: Wolves' Ihiekwe joins and Vincent stays". BBC Sport. 10 January 2014.
7. "Plymouth Argyle 1–1 Cheltenham Town". BBC Sport. 25 January 2014.
8. "Ihiekwe and Brundle sign for Cheltenham". BBC Sport. 31 January 2014.
9. "Young defenders to leave". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 7 May 2014. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014.
10. "Michael Ihiekwe signs after Wolves departure". BBC Sport. 18 June 2014.
11. "Tramere's Michael Ihiekwe has his sights set on a first team place". Liverpool Echo. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
12. "2014-15 Squad Numbers Announced". Tranmere Rovers F.C. 17 July 2014. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
13. "Tranmere Rovers 1-1 York City". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
14. "Tranmere Rovers 2 – 2 Stevenage". BBC Sport. 1 November 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
15. "Match Report: Tranmere Rovers 1 Cambridge United 1". Tranmere Rovers F.C. 19 December 2014. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
16. "Injury Update". Tranmere Rovers F.C. 23 December 2014. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
17. "Tranmere Rovers 2 Swansea City 6 - final whistle report". Liverpool Echo. 3 January 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
18. "Ihiekwe Set To Miss Carlisle Game". Tranmere Rovers F.C. 5 February 2015. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
19. "Portsmouth 3 – 2 Tranmere Rovers". BBC Sport. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
20. "2015-16 Squad Numbers". Tranmere Rovers F.C. 17 July 2015. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
21. "Gateshead 1 – 4 Tranmere Rovers". BBC Sport. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
22. "Preview: Tranmere v Eastleigh". Tranmere Rovers F.C. 10 October 2015. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
23. "Halifax Town 1 – 1 Tranmere Rover". BBC Sport. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
24. "Macclesfield Town 1 – 2 Tranmere Rovers". BBC Sport. 26 December 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
25. "Ihiekwe is right back in my plans, says boss Brabin". Liverpool Echo. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
26. "Three Offered New Contracts". Tranmere Rovers F.C. 6 May 2016. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
27. "Ihiekwe Pens New Deal". Tranmere Rovers F.C. 1 June 2016. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
28. "Rovers Defender Ihiekwe Gets England C Call-Up". The Football Network. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
29. "Games played by Michael Ihiekwe in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
30. "Games played by Michael Ihiekwe in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
31. "Games played by Michael Ihiekwe in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Retrieved 1 December 2015.

External links

• Michael Ihiekwe career statistics at Soccerbase