Aniket Rai
Odion Ighalo joins new club just days after ending his loan spell at Manchester United
A report by Mirror confirms that Odion Ighalo has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Shabab after he ended his loan spell at Manchester United in the January window.
The Nigerian striker was signed from Shanghai Shenhua on a 6-month loan last January on deadline day. Throughout his stay at United, he was under the contract of the Chinese side.
United extended his loan spell at the club by 6 more months as he impressed with his contributions in the second half of the 2019/20 season.
His temporary stay at United ended last month as the club decided not to extend his loan spell any further. A return to the CSL side was a possibility, but that did not happen.
Ighalo joins Al Shabab
Instead, he has chosen the Saudi club who sit on top of their league. He has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract and would be hoping to help the club land their first league title in 9 years. (h/t Mirror)
Ighalo did not cement his place in the starting XI. But that was never really his purpose. He was mainly a backup striker and he did well in that role whenever required.
The 31-year-old managed 5 goals for the Red Devils in his 23 appearances. Out of those, just 4 came this season.
This was largely due to the club signing Edinson Cavani from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. After that, it was evident that the former Watford striker would find it hard to get game time.
More Manchester United News:
- Fabio advises Manchester United on how they could further improve Aaron Wan-Bissaka
- Manchester United fans react as Jesse Lingard impresses on West Ham United debut
- Marcos Rojo left Manchester United to join Boca Juniors in the January transfer window
Last week, he bid an emotional farewell to the fans as his departure was confirmed. Hopefully, he finds success in the new league and can add some silverware to his cabinet before he decides to hang up his boots.
