| Michael Ihiekwe | |
| Fullname: | Michael Uzoukwu Absalom Jude Ihiekwe[1] |
| Birth Date: | 20 November 1992 |
| Birth Place: | Liverpool, England |
| Position: | Centre-back |
| Currentclub: | Sheffield Wednesday |
| Clubnumber: | 20 |
| Youthclubs1: | Liverpool |
| Youthyears2: | –2011 |
| Youthclubs2: | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Years1: | 2011–2014 |
| Clubs1: | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2014 |
| Clubs2: | → Cheltenham Town (loan) |
| Caps2: | 13 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2014–2017 |
| Clubs3: | Tranmere Rovers |
| Caps3: | 112 |
| Goals3: | 5 |
| Years4: | 2017–2022 |
| Clubs4: | Rotherham United |
| Caps4: | 163 |
| Goals4: | 10 |
| Years5: | 2018–2019 |
| Clubs5: | → Accrington Stanley (loan) |
| Caps5: | 20 |
| Goals5: | 1 |
| Years6: | 2022– |
| Clubs6: | Sheffield Wednesday |
| Caps6: | 50 |
| Goals6: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | 13:32, 28 September 2024 (UTC) |
Michael Uzoukwu Absalom Jude Ihiekwe (born 20 November 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Sheffield Wednesday.
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.
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 was determined to fight for his place in the first team[11] and was given number five shirt ahead of the new season.[12]
Ihiekwe made his Tranmere Rovers debut in the opening game of the season, a 1–1 draw against York City, where he played 90 minutes.[13] Since his debut, Ihiekwe established himself in the starting eleven at centre-back 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 stretchered off the field.[15] The injury wasn't serious[16] and he made his return to the first team weeks later, in a 6–2 FA Cup third round loss against Swansea City.[17] His return was short-lived when he suffered an injury three weeks later that kept him out for weeks.[18] After recovering, Ihiekwe made his return to the first team, coming on as a substitute for Rory Donnelly in the 81st minute, in a 3–2 loss against Portsmouth on 24 February 2015.[19] He 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. Ihiekwe made thirty-eight appearances for the club in his first season at Tranmere Rovers.
The 2015–16 season saw Ihiekwe given shirt number twelve, with Steve Jennings taking over the number five shirt.[20] Ihiekwe started well, scoring 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 appearances, but was unsuccessful to help the club get back to promotion to League Two. After scoring a late winner against Sutton United in 2017 [25] Ihiekwe was quoted as saying "That will kill Lincoln" [26] Ihiekwe in making his statement was a little premature as Lincoln Then went on to secure their next 6 games undefeated and won the National title gaining promotion back to the football League. As the season progress, Ihiekwe began to play in a full-back position, rather than at centre-back, under the management of Gary Brabin.[27] At the end of the 2015–16 season, Ihiekwe was offered a new contract[28] and signed a one-year contract extension on 1 June 2016.[29]
On 25 May 2017, Rotherham United announced that Ihiekwe had signed a two-year contract with the League One club.[30] As well as scoring during pre season, Ihiekwe scored his first competitive goal for Rotherham in a 5-1 home win against Oldham.[31]
On 24 August 2018, Ihiekwe joined Accrington Stanley on loan until 2 January 2019.[32] Whilst at Rotherham, Ihiekwe met his distant relative Josh 'Skully' Rimmer.
On 22 June 2022, Ihiekwe would join Sheffield Wednesday following the expiration of his Rotherham United contract.[33] He made his Wednesday debut, starting against Portsmouth on 30 July 2022.[34] Manager Darren Moore confirmed that Ihiekwe has sustained knee ligament damage on 3 December 2022 and would have an extended stay in the recovery room.[35] He returned to the squad on 10 April 2023 against Burton Albion.[36] He scored his first goal in Wednesday colours on 9 April 2024 against Norwich City, heading in from a corner.[37]
Ihiekwe was born in England and is of Nigerian descent.[38] In September 2015, Ihiekwe was called up by England C.[39]
| 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 | League Two | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| Tranmere Rovers | 2014–15 | League Two | 38 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 1 | |
| 2015–16 | National League | 35 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | National League | 39 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 48 | 3 | ||
| Total | 112 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 130 | 6 | |||
| Rotherham United | 2017–18 | League One | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 1 | |
| 2018–19 | Championship | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 2 | |||
| 2019–20 | League One | 33 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21 | Championship | 42 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | League One | 42 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 52 | 5 | ||
| Total | 163 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 183 | 14 | |||
| Accrington Stanley (loan) | 2018–19 | League One | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 1 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2022–23 | League One | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Championship | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2024–25 | Championship | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 50 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 63 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 357 | 17 | 18 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 412 | 22 | |||
Rotherham United
Sheffield Wednesday
Individual
2019–20 League One,[43] 2021–22 League One[44]
2021–22[45]