Manchester United’s Odion Ighalo is hoping to extend his stay at the Theatre of Dreams with his on loan contract expiring on May 31.
The 30-year-old Ighalo joined the Premier League giants on loan from Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai Shenhua in the January transfer market and has made quite a strong impression at Old Trafford during his short stint at Old Trafford.
The Nigerian forward netted four times in eight games across all competitions for Manchester United before football was brought to a standstill in March due to the coronavirus outbreak in the UK.
The return of the Premier League is highly anticipated by fans all across the globe and there are rumours of players taking to the pitch mid-way through June. However, amid the ongoing talk of the Premier League return, players that have their contracts expiring at the end of the month might not be eligible to play for their respective clubs. Ighalo, though, has pleaded with Manchester United to offer him a contract extension so that he can finish out the remainder of the season with the Red Devils.
While speaking to Manchester United, the former Watford star admitted that he would prefer to finish the season at Old Trafford if there is a possibility to do so because he was keeping in good shape and form for over a month at the Premier League club, “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 now 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.”
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Ighalo further added that despite wanting to remain at Manchester United for a longer period, he is hoping that everyone at the club remains safe, “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. I just want everyone to be safe and see what the future holds.”
Manchester United remain in 5th place on the Premier League table and would be hoping to secure a top-four berth to qualify for the Champions League as they sit only three points behind west London side, Chelsea.
