Odion Ighalo’s arrival at Manchester United came as a shock to most fans of the club. The Nigerian arrived at Old Trafford having spent the last three seasons in the Chinese Super League. Ighalo turned his back on European football when he left Watford to join Changchun Yatai, before moving on to Shanghai Shenhua.
However, United were keen to bring Ighalo back to the Premier League in the winter of 2020 after suffering a huge number of injuries. Konstantin Terekhin revealed the extent of United’s problems in the attacking third and revealed that the Red Devils needed to bring in a striker in the January transfer window to have any chance of finishing in the top four.
Ighalo Arrives At Old Trafford
Ighalo was the man that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to bring into the club, and the loan deal was announced on transfer deadline day. He became the first Nigerian to play for United and only the seventh African player. His arrival at Old Trafford didn’t come without its teething problems, as he was forced to sit out of training for two weeks after arriving from China. United were cautious of having Ighalo involved straight away in the fear that he may have had coronavirus.
As soon as United announced the Ighalo deal, their odds on a top-four finish dropped. You can learn all about one of the best sportsbooks in this Betway review. The Nigerian made an immediate impact when he came on as a substitute in Manchester United’s win over Chelsea. He added a new threat to the United forward line, and that has been highlighted in the further appearances that he has made.
He made his first start for the club in their Europa League round of 32 clash with Club Brugge. Fans didn’t have to wait long to see Ighalo show his talents as he scored in the 5-0 win. He would score one more goal in the next round of the competition against LASK, with this goal being awarded as the club’s goal of the month. It wasn’t just in Europe where he was making his mark, as he scored two goals in United’s FA Cup success over Derby County. Ighalo has already highlighted that he will be a crucial player for the club until the end of the season, but the Red Devils should do all they can to sign him on a permanent deal.
United To Sign Ighalo Permanently
There is no doubting that Solskjaer’s first choice strikers are Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, and that Ighalo was signed to compensate for the injury picked up by Rashford. However, United should do all they can to sign the Nigerian on a permanent deal as he has added something new to their attacking options. Rashford and Martial are both forwards that are comfortable running at players, but neither are able to hold the ball up.
That part of the game is something that Ighalo does very well. There is no doubting that he would be a back-up player for the Red Devils, but he would be an excellent player to call upon in the final stages of matches to see out the win. Solskjaer has been impressed with the Nigerian since he joined the club, and as a fellow striker, he will be aware of the qualities that Ighalo has. Fans around the world will be hoping United can sign him on a permanent deal.