Man United want former Watford striker on loan

Bengaluru, Jan 27: Manchester United are lining up a shock transfer move for former Watford striker Odion Ighalo, according to reports in England.

The Red Devils have been rocked by an injury to their star forward Marcus Rashford and are looking for a short-term cover for the Englishman. And, they could make a move for the former Watford forward which could see him return to England two and a half years after departing for China.

22-year-old English international Rashford is set to be out for at least eight weeks due to a stress fracture in his back. And, the Red Devils have been largely dependent on the young forward in the attack this campaign. He has scored 14 and set up four out of the club's total of 36 goals this season from which it is evident that they would struggle to find the back of the net even more in the absence of the number ten.

Ighalo has fond memories in English football and could prove to be a decent emergency cover for Rashford. He is experienced in the Premier League and has 17 goals in 55 games in the League from his time with Watford. After joining the Hornets in 2014, initially on loan, he played a key role in their promotion in his first season at Vicarage Road. And, his first season in the Premier League was also an impressive one as he scored 15 Premier League goals.

However, his goals dried up in the next season and he eventually moved to China on a big-money deal. The Nigerian has been pretty decent in Chinese football as well. A regular in the Nigerian setup, the 30-year-old has scored 16 international goals for the African giants in 35 games. He also finished as the top scorer in the African Cup of Nations in 2019 ahead of superstars like Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and others.

Ighalo is a striker who relies more on his pace than his physical strength and would be an ideal fit for the system Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deploys at Old Trafford. He is a pretty good finisher as well and could prove to be a solid addition to the Red Devils even on a permanent deal. Manchester United were anyway short in numbers up front with the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez in the summer. Ighalo would certainly add more depth to the thin squad at Old Trafford.