On The Ball | Odion Ighalo hoping his Manchester United dream doesn’t end too soon as loan expiry looms
- Odion Ighalo has made a lasting impression at Old Trafford despite limited playing time
- The Nigerian has scored three times for United, but could be headed back to China before Premier League season restarts
Manchester United’s players hope Odion Ighalo stays at the club after his loan spell ends this Sunday. His manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants him to “finish off what he’s started” and the Nigerian striker wants to stay, but if he never plays another game for United, he’ll be remembered fondly for his contribution even though his loan spell was limited to just four weeks of games, no Premier League starts and 319 minutes of football.
Ighalo scored in all three games he started and was having a superb March 2020 until the lockdown. His goal at LASK in United’s last match is a contender for goal of the season.
As fellow January signing Bruno Fernandes strode forward, Ighalo, surrounded by defenders, shouted “Bruno!” clearly audible in the near empty stadium. The pass forward was controlled with mid air touches with both feet before he struck a shot which rose from the edge of the box into the top corner. The biggest cheer came from the 14 men on the United bench as the Nigerian ran towards an empty bank of seats and saluted towards the sky. Ighalo’s sister died in December and he’s dedicated his goals to her.
The strike was the fourth in two weeks for the 30-year-old lifelong United fan who wore the team’s shirts as a boy in Lagos.
“United are hugely popular in Nigeria and Ighalo’s signing took that interest to an unimaginable level,” explains his compatriot and United fan Abdullahi Abdu Paiko. “Words are not enough to describe the pride of seeing a Nigerian wearing the red shirt for the first time in history. He became a source of inspiration for every Nigerian who dares to dream – even a young boy in a Lagos slum kicking a football on a dusty pitch.”
