Former Manchester United of England midfielder, Owen Hargreaves has suggested that The Red Devils should give ex-Super Eagles’ striker, Odion Jude Ighalo a full contract next month, simply because the Nigerian star was able to give the club something different during the eight matches he played for them, megasportsarena.com reports.
The countdown is already on about the possibility of Ighalo turning his current loan deal into a full contract when it expires this month, but Hargreaves thinks it would be wise for his former employers to dole out the cash that would see them permanently hook the hitman who struck four goals n only three starts across two months.
Ighalo is wanted back by his parent club, Shanghai Shenhua of China, who have put 400,000 pounds per week on the table for him in a new deal that will run until 2024 or would readily sell him to United for 20m pounds, but The Red Devils are dragging feet over that projection.
However, Hargreaves has now come out to emphatically advice the Manchester-based side to splash the cash on Ighalo, who he believes gave his very best to justify a full contract when his loan spell ends on May 31, and says he only expects Ighalo to be signed permanently.
After arriving from Shanghai in January, Ighalo faced an initial shut-out from Old Trafford in order to spend 14 days in self-isolation, due to his presence at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak at the start of this year in China, but he then settled down and hit the ground running, netting four goals in eight games across all competitions, only three in the starting line-up, and Hargreaves believes the attacker should be allowed to continue living his dream.
Hargreaves told talkSPORT: “Whoever signed him, hats off to you; because he’s given them something different. He’s a big United fan, isn’t he, and he’s done great. He’s done really good; better probably than he could have hoped and Man United could have hoped and he’s been a good addition to the team.
“I love Marcus and Martial, love their game, but they’re quite different in the sense that they want the ball into feet and they want to run in behind, whereas he’s comfortable being a target man with people behind him and then getting the ball and people can run off him.
“I think all the boys are really good athletes and quick and want to run in behind and get the ball into feet but he looks comfortable with his back to the goal. It’s not always about getting the best name, it’s about getting the guy that you don’t have that you need.”
