Go Back To China Or Stay With Man United, I Will Do Whatever God Says – Odion Ighalo
Odion Ighalo has confirmed that he has not yet received any offer of a permanent deal from Manchester United.
The Nigerian is on loan at Old Trafford from Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua and has scored 4 goals in his first three starts for the Red Devils.
There is understood to have been no buyout fee inserted in his loan contract, but it has been reported that Ighalo would be prepared to take a 50% pay cut to join the club he has supported since he was a boy on a permanent deal.
In an interview on Elegbetetv, Ighalo said ‘There is no offer on the table yet.’
‘Because the season is still on and I’ve not finished my loan deal.’
The interviewer then asked the 30-year-old whether he would join United at the end of the season if they were to put an offer of £200,000 per week on the table for a one or two year contract.
‘I have seen so many tweets about this. I have seen so many people going crazy, “go back to China”, some say “stay with Man United”.
‘Have you seen me say a word? I don’t have anything to say. When the season’s finished and I get offers from the two teams, then I will sit and think about it, pray about it and whatever God says I should do, I will go with that.’
‘I don’t just sit down and take decisions, and I don’t get carried away with whatever people say. I came to Manchester United to play for a pay cut because I wanted to.’
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‘So anything could happen, but I want the season to finish and my loan deal finish. Then I will see everything I have on the ground. It’s not only Shanghai who will put an offer on the ground. They might not come with an offer, my other team might not come with the offer, you never can tell.’
‘You don’t just rush and do things: “I’m going here, I’m going here”. I have to sit down and finish the season well, sit down with my agent, see what’s on the ground: A, B, C, D, is on the ground. Okay we have to pick.’
Ighalo also revealed in the interview that United had tried to sign him at the time he went to China in 2017 but he did not join. The interviewer reported that when he asked the former Watford man why he chose China over Old Trafford, Ighalo had replied ‘do you think if I go to Man United and Zlatan Ibrahimovic is there, would they put him on the bench and start me, even if I’m younger and better?’
Assuming the 2019/20 season is completed and that Shanghai Shenhua allow Ighalo’s loan to be extended until it is, whether an offer does come from Old Trafford or not will depend a lot on Ighalo’s own performances when the campaign resumes and on whether another striker is prioritised in the summer. Until then, the Nigerian will continue to take each day as it comes and enjoy every minute of playing for the club he grew up supporting.
