As per a report from the reliable Paul Hirst of the Times, Manchester United January addition Odion Ighalo has not yet been permitted to make use of the club’s Carrington training base.
Ighalo arrives
The surprise transfer of the January window came to fruition on deadline day two weeks ago.
The signing came for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United, in the form of former Watford striker Odion Ighalo.
Just 24 hours after the Red Devils confirmed the high-profile addition of Bruno Fernandes, Ighalo followed suit, with the Nigerian having put pen-to-paper on a 6-month loan deal in Manchester:
✍ #MUFC can confirm that Odion Ighalo will join us on loan from Shanghai Shenhua until the end of the season.
Welcome, Odion! 🔴
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 1, 2020
Ighalo was brought to Old Trafford to add some much-needed depth to United’s front-line, on the back of the long-term injury picked up my Marcus Rashford last month.
Ighalo patiently waiting
To this point, however, Ighalo is actually yet to link up with the rest of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad.
As per the aforementioned report from Paul Hirst, the striker has not stepped foot in the club’s Carrington training base.
This comes after Ighalo agreed to keep his distance for two weeks, amid concerns over the spread of the deadly coronavirus (the 30-year-old had been plying his trade in China up until his move to Manchester was made official).
As such, since his arrival in England, Ighalo has been training at the British Taekwondo headquarters in the east of Manchester.
Odion Ighalo agreed to stay away from Manchester United’s training ground for two weeks after signing for the club on loan because of concerns over the spread of coronavirus, reports @hirstclass #MUFC https://t.co/QqMyVYfRfP
— Times Sport (@TimesSport) February 13, 2020
Despite his lack of integration thus far, though, United’s latest signing will nevertheless be part of the club’s travelling squad set to visit Stamford Bridge next Monday.
Speaking earlier this week, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed that Ighalo will be called up to face Chelsea:
‘Yeah, he is going to travel with us. We will just see his fitness work this week and I think we will get him sharp. We want to integrate him as quickly as we can because, of course, he is desperate to play for us.’
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