Manchester United FC manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still hoping to negotiate with Chinese football club Shanghai Shenhua to extend Odion Ighalo’s loan deal. Ighalo’s loan deal at the Premier League club is bound to expire this week, and talks between the two clubs to extend the striker’s loan deal have hit a deadlock.
However, Solskjaer is keen on keeping the Nigerian striker in his squad for the remainder of the Premier League season due to Ighalo’s great performances playing upfront for the Red Devils.
With the announcement having been made that the current Premier League season, which had been halted due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, is set to resume from 17th June, Solskjaer will be hoping to count upon the full strength and availability of his Manchester United FC squad to challenge for a top-four finish.
In an interview, Solskjaer stated that Manchester United FC was in constant dialogue with Ighalo’s parent club Shanghai Shenhua, and both parties are hopeful about reaching a satisfactory agreement with relation to the striker’s loan deal.
Terming the Chinese club as great towards the English club, the Red Devils manager thanked him for allowing Ighalo to move to Old Trafford, which was a dream move for the Nigerian international. Moreover, he added that he was optimistic about Shanghai Shenhua, allowing Manchester United FC to extend Ighalo’s current loan deal so that the striker could cap off his dream move with a trophy.
Ighalo has impressed Solskjaer and the Red Devil fans alike through a series of impressive performances. The striker has scored four goals in eight appearances since arriving in January of this year. However, his parent club Shanghai wants him to return in time for the start of the Chinese Super League, which gets underway in June. This is believed to be the main reason behind them being reluctant to allow Ighalo to stay at Manchester United FC for a more extended period than agreed. Moreover, the Red Devils have no option to buy the player in the pre-existing loan deal permanently.
