Odion Ighalo‘s time at Manchester United has come to a close. The Nigerian has fulfilled his childhood dream by becoming the first man from his nation to play for the Red Devils, and has proven many people wrong with his effectiveness as a last-minute loan signing. Ighalo will now return to parent team Shanghai Greenland Shenhua having found a place in the hearts of every United fan.
A Dream Has Come to an End as Odion Ighalo Leaves Manchester United
Manchester United Needed Reinforcements
In a season filled with ups and downs for Manchester United, the end of the 2020 January transfer window saw their attacking options looking barren. They were set for months without star player Marcus Rashford, and Bruno Fernandes was yet to make his impact on the side. An attack including the likes of Andreas Pereira, Jesse Lingard, and Daniel James looked increasingly likely. Anthony Martial was also yet to run into his hot patch of form, which occurred towards the end of last season, so their starting options up front looked bleak, let alone any attacking depth.
Now United player Edinson Cavani and former Red Devils Carlos Tevez were both linked with a move to Old Trafford, but United fell short, landing on Ighalo instead. The former Watford striker’s move was looked upon with few kind eyes, instead, pundits and fans alike were using it to show how far the Manchester side had fallen recently.
However, Ighalo didn’t care. He took a pay cut to make his childhood dream come true, and moved to Manchester with a point to prove.
Exceeding Expectations in First Season
Expectations were low for Ighalo’s first season in a red shirt. Even United legend Gary Neville criticized the move, saying that it showed poor transfer planning from his former club.
Ighalo seemingly thrived on this criticism, though.
He made his debut with a late cameo against Chelsea last February, and went on to score during every game in which he started up until the resumption of the Europa League in August.
The pick of the bunch was a goal of the season contender which he netted in United’s 5-0 thumping of Austrian side LASK. The Nigerian received the ball on the edge of the box before doing three kick-ups and walloping the ball into the back of the net with his weaker foot.
He made late substitute appearances in almost all of the Red Devils’ Premier League games after he joined, and impressed everyone with his effectiveness when utilised in cup competitions.
Ighalo Still Loved at United Despite Struggling For Game-Time
Despite struggling for game-time this season, Ighalo will always be loved by United fans.
The 31-year-old has managed just four appearances this campaign, accumulating a total of 157 minutes of football. While this may not be exactly what he wanted, the striker was signed last season with a view to helping the team see out its remainder. His loan was extended for romanticism more than anything, but he also provided useful depth should United endure another injury crisis.
While they did not, Ighalo will still, no doubt, look back on his time in Manchester fondly, knowing that he proved his doubters wrong and helped Manchester United in their success last year, all while fulfilling his dream of playing in front of an Old Trafford crowd.
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