Deadline day in January 2020 was a calamitous one for Manchester United. Two offers for Joshua King had been rebuffed by Dortmund and in quite shocking events, a late move was made to sign Odion Ighalo on loan from the Chinese league.
But for the first Nigerian to ever represent Manchester United, it was a dream come true. It was revealed after he had signed that Ighalo was a boyhood fan of the club and had dreamed of stepping out at Old Trafford in red.
He never did, in the Premier League at least. Ighalo failed to start a league game for the club but scored a handful of important goals in cup competitions in his debut season.
Appearances were few and far between after Edinson Cavani’s arrival at the club but the Nigerian has now confirmed that West Ham made an attempt to sign him when they swooped in for Jesse Lingard in January this year.
“I got an offer from two Premier League teams – West Ham and West Brom,” Ighalo told ELEGBETE. “(They) were ready to pay but what am I going to do in the Premier League again after playing for United?
“What other team do I want to play for to fulfill my dream? I have already fulfilled my dream, played in Watford and did well, played in Manchester United.
“But I give God the glory for helping me fulfill this lifelong dream of putting on a Manchester United shirt as a player and represent this great club, it was indeed an honour I will forever cherish and be grateful for.”
West Ham ended up settling for Jesse Lingard instead of a sensational double transfer, with Odion Ighalo moving to new ventures in Saudi Arabia.
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