Manchester United has agreed to extend the loan of Odion Ighalo. Ighalo is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Manchester United, on loan from Shanghai Greenland Shenhua of the Chinese Super League. The contract was supposed to expire at the end of June. However, it has been confirmed by the club that the contract of the player will extend until next year.
As a compensation, Manchester United will need to pay half of the Ighalo wage and the traveling cost to Shanghai. Ighalo’s new contract will cost around 400 thousand pound or equivalent to 700 thousand singapore dollars.
Daily Mail announced, Shenhua allowed Ighalo to continue to stay in England because the travel procedure of foreign nationals to China was still unclear due to corona. Meanwhile, Ighalo services are still needed by Manchester United because of the injury suffered by Marcus Rashford. The Nigerian became the best alternative to fill the void in the Red Devils attack in the midst of the hurricane that hit.
Ighalo performed well when he arrived at Old Trafford at the beginning of this year. He successfully scored four goals in eight matches before the Premier League was forced to be suspended due to Covid-19.
United coach Ole Gunnar was hoping that Ighalo could stay until the end of the season to patch the gap in the front lines. Ighalo became one of the best transfers in the earlier of this year when Manchester United failed to recruit Erling Haaland who chose to go Borussia Dortmund.
Ighalo slowly proved himself worthy of playing for Manchester United. He scored an impressive volley when facing LASK Linz in the Europa League and two FA Cup goals against Derby Country to help his team qualify for the quarter finals.
“It was a dream for him and I hope he can finish what he started with the trophy with us,” said Gunnar.
