English Premier League
Odion Ighalo reminisces on Manchester United move
By Monsurah Olatunji
Former Nigeria international Odion Ighlao has expressed no regrets about his time at Old Trafford as he revealed the significant sacrifices to join Manchester United on loan in 2020.
The 35-year-old realised a long-term ambition of playing at the Theatre of Dreams before the world’s most severe epidemic struck.
The former Watford star was brought in by Ole Gunnar Solksjaer after Marcus Rashford who suffered a back stress fracture.
“At 11 pm in Shanghai, my agent called me [to say] that United wanted to do the deal, so I woke up and started looking for a translator to go to the directors’ room and hit his door,” he said per Manchester Evening News.
“So, they started talking and discussing. I didn’t sleep throughout that night, because it was going to end at 7 am, Shanghai time, and the transfer [window] was going to close there.
“From 11 pm there was paperwork, negotiating and all that, for the loan deal, so we are talking and other teams are calling them, wanting me, but I told my agent that this is what I want.
“I want to come here. He said, ‘You’re going to get a pay cut to go to United.’ I said, ‘I don’t care. Make this deal happen. I want to go to United. I don’t care how much the pay cut is.”
Ighalo scored five goals and recorded one assist in 23 games for the Red Devils despite enduring limited minutes on the field of play.
