Manchester United have reportedly agreed a loan extension for Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo with the player apparently remaining at the Old Trafford club until the end of January 2021. It was expected that the striker would leave Manchester today, which was the end date for his loan spell which was agreed back in January.

Parent club, Shanghai Shenhua reportedly wanted the player back in China to prepare to start the Chinese Super League, which had been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic which suspended world football in mid-March. However, United were keen to keep the player for the remainder of the season.

The Chinese club were initially reluctant to allow the Nigerian to stay will United past today and were demanding a £20 million fee for a permanent transfer. Then it was reported that if the player signed a new contract with the Chinese club, they would allow him to finish the season at United. However, United seem to have gone one better.

Reports indicate that United agreed to pay a revised loan fee, which is not yet known, getting the deal across the line before the expiry of his temporary contract with the Old Trafford club. The Nigerian’s agent Atta Aneke hinted on Norwegian outlet Nettavisien that a deal was close earlier on Sunday morning, saying:

“We are nearing agreement with Manchester United on an extended loan.

“The agreement will mean that Ighalo will remain with them until January 2021.”

United have been in talks with the Chinese club for many days and the Daily Mail had reported that the fee for the extension that United were prepared to pay was the sticking point in the deal. That seems to have been addressed, seemingly with a positive outcome for United. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be happy to keep his squad together.

Not only for the remainder of this season, the Nigerian will spend most of next season at United, meaning the club have bought themselves some extra time in their hunt for a new striker, seemingly not having to do a deal this summer, giving them until January to sort something out, which will be good for the club in the new financial climate in football.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that he wants to extend the loan transfer of Shanghai Shenhua and former Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo as the Old Trafford step up their fitness to resume the 2019/20 season. At this moment in time, Ighalo is due to leave United at the end of the week.

The Premier League season has been on hold since mid-March with the striker appearing in the clubs last match, which was the 5-0 thrashing of LASK in the first leg of the round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League, which could be his final match for the club. In the time he has been at United, Ighalo made eight appearances, scoring four goals and one assist.

If United failed to extend the loan spell of the striker, he would be saying goodbye to his teammates before the end of the week which would be a shame for him not to help them fight for a place in the UEFA Champions League next season. United are seeking to keep the player until the end of the season, which could be August or September.

Reports state that instead of allowing the player to remain at the Old Trafford club for the remainder of the delayed season, the Chinese club are only willing to listen to offers for a permanent transfer, suggested to be around £20 million, or allowing the player to remain at the club with a clause for a compulsory purchase of the striker.

Personally, I feel this would be good for United, if Solskjaer wants that. However, with reports linking United to the likes of Moussa Dembele from Lyon, a player the club has been tracking for some time, this deal, if United made Ighalo a permanent player for the club, might stop Solskjaer from making a move for the Frenchman. Solskjaer told MUTV:

“The loan deal went until the end of May now, so obviously he’s supposed to be going back.

“We’re in dialogue. They’ve been great towards us, his club, and allowed him to play for his dream club.

“It’s been a dream for him and hopefully he can finish off what he started, hopefully with a trophy for us.

“At the moment, nothing has been agreed. Their league is going to get started soon so we’re just waiting to see.”

Solskjaer has not ruled out the Nigerian staying at United this season and the fact that both clubs are in dialogue is a good thing. It would suggest that Shanghai Shenhua have not ruled out the possibility. There has also been reports from Foot Mercato that state Ighalo’s associate, Ladi Salami has stated the player is close to agreement over wages, saying:

“The Super Eagle feels very good in Manchester with whom he is very close to a salary agreement.

“Negotiations with the Chinese are ongoing and are going well.”

This will need to be something United act fast on as the player will be expected back in China this weekend with the Chinese Super League close to starting after it was delayed earlier in the year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hopefully, United will be able to keep the Nigerian, allowing him to play a part in the remainder of the season, as he should have.

Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo wants his loan spell, which is due to expire at the end of this month, extended for the remainder of the Premier League season, whenever that may be. World football has been suspended since the coronavirus became a pandemic in mid-March. There are suggestions that the season will resume in June.

The Chinese Super League was postponed in February with rumours suggesting that it will return in late June and could be without foreign stars that play in the league, with Ighalo possibly one of those. The 30-year-old was seemingly over the moon to sign for United and actively pushed to get the loan spell actioned back in January.

Ighalo has made a total of eight appearances for this club so far this season, scoring four goals and a further assist, which is a good return from so few matches. If the coronavirus pandemic had not happened and football had played on, he could have perhaps been on double figures at this moment in time, perhaps he might if he finishes the season at United.

The Nigerian is the type of player that United should be seeking to sign permanently as his experience will help the likes of Anthony Martial. Marcus Rashford, and Mason Greenwood learn and his presence in the box is something else, or has been when he has played this season. However, a new contract offer from his Chinese club may scupper that.

There is a chance that Ighalo would accept a pay cut to stay with United permanently with him currently on around £300,000 a week in China and may have to do with less than half of that to stay at United. I sure, as a supporter of the club, and the fact he ensure this loan spell would happen, it would be something that he thought about.

The Premier League might bring in a 2019/20 loan extension, which would be similar to the system they may bring in to cover those players that will be free agents from the 1 July this year. It would mean that contract of players affected would run until the end of the day of which the final match of the season would be played.

Of course, this sort of thing would need to happen but as far as loan spell, obviously the parent club would need to be in agreement, so it does not mean that United will keep the Nigerian for the remainder of the season. As the player reportedly wants to stay longer, it might be something easy for the Chinese club to agree upon. Ighalo, speaking to the BBC, has said:

“I would like to finish the season if it’s possible. I was in good form, good shape, scoring goals and now we’ve stopped 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.

“The club, myself, every footballer is going through a lot because we can’t do what we love and what we know how to do best, so we’re just thinking about that for now and to finish the season before we start thinking about the contract.”

There will be a number of players in the same circumstance as Ighalo and other Premier League teams will be hoping to keep players until the season finally ends. Arsenal’s Dani Ceballos, Everton’s Djibril Sidibe and Newcastle’s Nabil Bentaleb will be some of the others that will be affected. With travel likely to be a problem, they might all get to stay.

Manchester United are reportedly keen to extend Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo’s loan spell at the Theatre of Dreams and have opened dup discussions with Shanghai Shenhua. The 30-year-old has entered the final month of his spell at United and with the Premier League suspended because of coronavirus, he might not play for the club again.

Ighalo joined United during the January transfer window just as the coronavirus pandemic was starting to take hold of the world. The Nigerian has played a total of eight times for the club, playing in the Premier League, the Emirates FA Cup and the UEFA Europa League, scoring four goals and one assist.

The Chinese Super League was postponed because of the pandemic and will likely commence in either June of July so there is a possibility that the Chinese club would agree to the player completing the season with United. The Manchester Evening News has reported that United want the Nigerian to complete the season and are relaxed about the striker potentially heading back to the Far East.

If Ighalo is not allowed to continue playing for United after the agreed term of his loan spell, United would have Marcus Rashford back from injury after losing his services back in January due to a back problem, which is one of the reasons for United drafting in the Nigerian in the first place. Journalist Simon Peach has also confirmed United’s desire, stating:

“Manchester United would like to extend Odion Ighalo’s stay at Old Trafford.

“The striker’s loan deal expires at the end of May but an extension for the rest of the season (assuming it restarts) depends on the situation at Shanghai Shenhua. 

“He certainly made a decent impact in a short period.

It has also been claimed that the Nigerian, a self-confessed United supporter would like to remain at the Theatre of Dreams permanently but in light of the £400,000 contract that the Shanghai club has reportedly offered him, he would need to take a significant pay cut to spend more time at United. I might be something that he is willing to do, playing a better class of football at the same time.

The Nigerian has also opened up on the advise given by United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer since his loan spell at the club commenced. The 30-year-old settled quickly at the Old Trafford club, and has done well since he made his first appearance, scoring four goals and one assist in the eight appearances he has made.

Ighalo has opened up about the things he has learned from former United striker, Solskjaer, a player that made a total of 366 appearances for United, scoring 126 goals and assisting 50 more. The 30-year-old obviously found the guidance interesting and seemed to have learned from it. The striker, speaking to MUTV, stated:

“When I moved to United, I learned a few things from him. During games – there was even a game I scored in, and he said: ‘You should have scored more if you do this or do that’.

“I thought about it and I know if I would have done what Ole said, I would have scored more. He says: ‘You’re a striker, take the chance’.

“So I’ve learnt a lot from him, in terms of positioning and how to do one or two things in a game.

“As a striker, it’s good when a striker is coaching you. And, as a striker, you benefit even more than the defenders.

“He is someone who has scored goals for a long time and has done a lot for United, so it’s good to learn from him.“

It would be good to see more from the Nigerian, even with Rashford back in the team the Nigerian could play a part in the remainder of the season with United still fighting in the Emirates FA Cup and the UEFA Europa League, not to mention seeking to find a place in the top four of the Premier League. Shanghai Shenhua would reportedly want £15 million for the player, which is a relatively low fee for his experience.

Manchester United are seeking to sign an experienced striker this summer to help teenager Mason Greenwood’s development at the club after his breakthrough season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo to the club during the January transfer window with the player signing a six-month loan deal at the club.

Ighalo remains United’s number one target, according to reports but the offer of a new contract from his club, which plays in the Chinese Super League would not be something that United would match, especially for a player heading into the twilight years of his career. Ighalo has been a good signing so far, playing a bit-part role under Solskjaer.

Sky Sports presenter Dharmesh Sheth has spoken about the reports of Ighalo’s new contract offer from his club, Shanghai Shenhua which is reportedly around £400,000 per week to remain in China. These are great terms for any player but playing for United is a lot more high profile than playing in China. Sheth was quoted as saying:

“Manchester United have been very impressed and pleased with the progress that Mason Greenwood has made this season.

“But they do remain in the market for a striker, and the one that they want is a player that is already in their squad, Odion Ighalo on loan from Shanghai Shenhua of course.

“Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is very impressed with the impact that Ighalo has made this season and sees Ighalo as a man of experience who can help some of the younger players, including Mason Greenwood.

“However, this deal is not as easy as it sounds. That’s because Shanghai Shenhua have offered Ighalo a new contract worth around £400,000-a-week. That’s simply a wage that Manchester United would not pay.”

In eight appearances, playing 318 minutes of football since arriving at United, Ighalo has scored four goals and one assist, which is a good return for a relatively short period of time before the coronavirus pandemic stopped football all around the world. The Nigerian will be seeking to continue on that track when football returns, if he’s able to stay.

The Nigerian forward was signed on loan until the end of the season and with football still likely to continue this season and the fact that European leagues have until the 25 May to tell UEFA whether they want to continue their seasons or cancel the season, there is a chance that the players contract expires before football actually returns, but a decision will be made about that as many clubs will be affected.

Solskjaer will probably want Ighalo to continue the season at United with the club making a decision on making an offer for him. The rumours suggest that the Nigerian took a pay cut to sign for United and seemed happy doing so, even making sure the club officials heard about United’s interest in January and him wanting to get it done.

Signing a new contract in China and being paid £400,000 per week is too good to turn down, especially for a player in his 30s. Money is not everything though. Paying for United for a six month period or so may be good for him but if there is a chance he can become a permanent player, he should really think about that.

United might offer him £100,000 or even £150,000 per week to sign a three or four year contract, which is a good deal, especially if playing for United was a dream that he wanted to achieve, which seems to be the case considering the player’s urgency to get the loan deal done and move back to England. Personally, he’s an ideal player to have in the team.

He may not be the biggest name in world football but he has been somewhat of a revelation when he has played this season, having five goal contributions (four goals and one assist) in the eight matches he has played in. If that continues, it will only be a certainty as to whether United sign him permanently, which would be good for United, Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.