Manchester United of England’s outgoing striker, Odion Jude Ighalo has given the English Premier League club an early farewell message, as he reeled out emotional words laced with continued loyalty and love for the club he supported as a kid, megasportsarena.com reports.
Although the second half of his loan spell from Shanghai Greenland Shenhua of China at Old Trafford did not turn out to be as glorious as he had in the first part of the deal that began in January, Ighalo is staying emotionally attached to The Red Devils.
Rather than scold the club or hold umbrage against the coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for failing to utilize him as he would like since extending the deal in June, Ighalo stressed that he still holds a deep level of love for his boyhood club and thanked his teammates for supporting him.
The 31-year-old former Super Eagles’ striker went on to also thank the fans for all the love they gave him during his time with the team, especially after he scored five goals in his first four starts for the Manchester-based club, to equal a 95-year-old record.
Ighalo, who first joined The Reds Devils on loan from Shenhua at the start of 2020 and his second contract with the club is set to end in January 2021, stressed that he did not make the move to Old Trafford in the first place because of the money involved in the deal, but to fulfill a passion he had of playing for the team he supported while growing up in Ajegunle, Lagos.
Despite enduring a torrid second half of his stay at Old Trafford, Ighalo added that he had very memorable days with the team and he will forever cherish playing 23 games in all competitions for The Red Devils.
He also revealed that the highlight of his year-long spell at Old Trafford was playing a role in the derby against Manchester City on March 8, when Solskjaer sent him on in place of another new arrival, Bruno Fernandes, two minutes from time for his first ever appearance in the historic clash of the red and blue sides of the same northern city in England.
While retaining fond memories of the avalanche of plaudits that followed him afte that encounter, the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations top scorer insists he has nothing to regret from his time at Old Trafford.
Ighalo told United’s official website: “They know I’m here to play for the team and to give my best and they know I’m a fan like them, before I start playing for the team. I didn’t come here to just play one game or make the money.
“I’m a boyhood fan of this team and I came here to play with my heart, to give everything until the day I leave. I give my best, whether the game is good or bad. I keep trying 100 per cent.
“They knew that from the first day and that’s why they supported me. Even today, I see the same messages from the fans [on social media] which I cherish and I’m happy about.”
