Lifelong Manchester United fan Odion Ighalo has said he had no hesitation in taking a pay cut to complete his dream deadline-day switch to Old Trafford.
United secured a late loan deal for the former Watford striker, who has joined until the end of the season from the Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua. He described the move as “very dramatic”, having been informed by his agent the day before of United’s interest.
“From 11pm there was paperwork, negotiating and all that, for the loan deal, so we are talking and other teams are calling them, wanting me,” Ighalo told MUTV. “But I told my agent that this is what I want. I want to come here.
“He said: ‘You’re going to get a pay cut to go to United.’ I said: ‘I don’t care. Make this deal happen. I want to go to United. I don’t care how much is the pay cut, I know that, make it happen.’”
A back injury sustained by Marcus Rashford made the signing of a striker in January crucial to United, who were already short in attack following the summer departures of Alexis Sánchez and Romelu Lukaku to Internazionale. The club looked at a variety of options, including Bournemouth’s Joshua King, before taking Ighalo.
“I’m very happy,” said Ighalo. “First, I want say thank God for making this happen and it’s just like a dream come true for me. People that know me, even back in Nigeria, and even when I was playing at Watford, my teammates knew that I loved Man United, I support them. When I played against Man U, that emotion is there, because it is my dream.”
theguardian.com
