‘I don’t care’ - 2019 AFCON Golden Boot winner Ighalo reveals what he sacrificed to join Man United

The former Super Eagles striker joined Manchester United from Shanghai Shenhua in 2020 on a loan deal.

The forward was brought in by Ole Gunnar Solksjaer after Marcus Rashford who suffered a back stress fracture.

The 35-year-old realised a long-term ambition of playing at the Theatre of Dreams before the world's most severe epidemic struck.

Ighalo revealed that he received a call from his agent informing him that Man United was considering signing him.

According to Manchester Evening News, Ighalo said, “At 11 pm in Shanghai, my agent called me [to say] that United wanted to do the deal, so I woke up and started looking for a translator to go to the directors’ room and hit his door. 

“So, they started talking and discussing. I didn’t sleep throughout that night, because it was going to end at 7 am, Shanghai time, and the transfer [window] was going to close there.

“From 11 pm there was paperwork, negotiating and all that, for the loan deal, so we are talking and other teams are calling them, wanting me, 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 the pay cut is.”

The 2019 AFCON Golden Boot winner’s loan spell ended with five goals and one assist in 23 appearances for Manchester United. 

Since he departed from the Red Devils, he has since played for Al Shabab, Al Hilal, and Al Wehda, three Saudi Arabian clubs.

Meanwhile, Ighalo has given an update on when he will retire from playing football after plying his trade in Europe, China, and Saudi Arabia.