MANCHESTER, (ONA) Manchester United Football Club reached an agreement with Chinese Shanghai Greenland Xinhua to extend the loan deal of Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo until January 31, 2021. The loan period of the 30-year-old Nigerian to United was supposed to end Yesterday, Sunday, but the team of Norwegian coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided to keep his services until January 31, 2021, in order to be with Manchester United when the season resumes at the initial date scheduled on June 17 after stopping since March due to the emerging coronavirus.

Ighalo scored four goals in eight matches with the “Red Devils” team since he joined them on January 31, when he became the first Nigerian player to defend the colours of the team, and only the seventh African in the club's history. Speaking last week as a guest on United's official TV chat program, Solskjaer praised Ighalo, thanking Shanghai Greenland Xinhua by saying, “They have been great towards us, allowing him to play for his dream club”. “It has been a dream for him and hopefully he can finish what he started and win a trophy with us.”

Manchester United is competing for a place in the UEFA Champions League next season. The “Reds” are fifth in the Premier League before stopping in March, three points behind Chelsea who is in the fourth place. They also continue to compete for the title of the domestic cup competition and the Europa League. In the first, they have reached the quarter-finals, where they will meet Norwich City on the 27th or 28th of June, according to the initial date, while they went a long way in the second tournament towards the quarter-finals by his sweeping victory in the second round over the Austrian Lask with five clean goals, including a goal for Ighalo.

(ONA)