Odion Ighalo was taken into the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer-managed side as a desperate move to bolster the Manchester United attack.
Odion Ighalo celebrating his goal against Club Brugge. (Photo: Twitter/@EuropaLeague)
Manchester United’s on-loan striker Odion Ighalo looks all set to leave Old Trafford this week and return to his Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua as his spell will end on May 31.
The 30-year-old Nigerian striker, Ighalo, was signed by United on the last day of the January transfer window this year. He was supposed to represent the Red Devils till the end of the 2019-20 season, but with the COVID-19 pandemic postponing all the sports activities Ighalo is unlikely to finish the campaign.
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He was taken into the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer-managed side as a desperate move to bolster the Manchester United attack which was badly hit by Marcus Rahford’s injury and out-of-touch Anthony Martial.
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However, with the Chinese Super League looking to start its new season June end or early July, Shanghai Shenhua is keen to have their striker back to their folds.
But, according to a report by Manchester Evening News, United are also keen to keep Ighalo till the end of the season and are holding discussion with the Chinese side to extend his loan deal.
The Premier League is likely to resume the suspended season in June after the United Kingdom government gave the green light. The clubs have also pumped up their preparations and have already restarted group training sessions.
Earlier, Ighalo had also hoped for an extension of his loan and expressed a desire to stay at United. “I would like to finish the season if it’s possible,” Ighalo told the BBC.
“I was in good form, good shape, scoring goals and now we’ve stopped now for over a month. I’ve given it my best and hopefully we’ll come back to play.
“The team had a good momentum before the pandemic started. At the moment I’m on loan, and this will cut short my time at the club,” he added.
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