Seventeen-year-old Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho will train with the Crew until mid-October but is not a candidate to join the club permanently, coach Gregg Berhalter said today.

"It's a guy who is training here for a period and then he's going to rejoin Manchester City later in the fall," Berhalter said today at the Crew's facility in Obetz. "He wanted a place to train, to stay fit, stay moving and we offered it to him."

Seventeen-year-old Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho will train with the Crew until mid-October but is not a candidate to join the club permanently, coach Gregg Berhalter said today.

�It�s a guy who is training here for a period and then he�s going to rejoin Manchester City later in the fall,� Berhalter said today at the Crew�s facility in Obetz. �He wanted a place to train, to stay fit, stay moving and we offered it to him.�

Berhalter said Manchester City approached the Crew about finding some time for Iheanacho through Claudio Reyna, who played for Man City, was Berhalter�s teammate on the United States national team and is the current director of football operations for Major League Soccer expansion franchise New York City FC.

�He has good connections with Manchester City and he wanted to place (Iheanacho) at a club that he can train and I guess similar philosophies, similar values in soccer,� Berhalter said. �We said we�d be glad to help out.�

Iheanacho played in today�s scrimmage against the Crew�s USL Pro affiliate Dayton and scored a hat trick in the Crew�s 5-1 win. Midfielder Ben Speas scored the other two goals.

Iheanacho has starred for Nigeria at the World U-17 Championship in 2013 in the United Arab Emirates, scoring six goals and adding seven assists while leading his country to the title. Here is an interview he conducted after the tournament.

He also scored two goals during Manchester City�s preseason tour of the United States.

Asked if Iheanacho is a candidate to join the Crew full-time, Berhalter said, �No.�

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy