Odion Ighalo admits he turned down offers from West Bromwich Albion and West Ham when leaving Manchester United in the January transfer window, speaking to Sky Sports.
While the Nigeria international didn’t set the world alight at Old Trafford, he can look back on his time in the famous red shirt with plenty of pride.
Ighalo scored five times during a short-lived spell at his boyhood club, including a Yeboah-esque wondergoal against LASK Linz, a brace at Derby County in the Carabao Cup and a lovely back-heel in the build up to Scott McTominay’s Manchester derby wonder goal.
He was no Edinson Cavani or Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave Ighalo a job to do and the skilful centre-forward repaid the manager’s faith with interest.
But why did the 31-year-old opt to leave English football behind when his time at Man United ran out?
“There was the possibility of West Ham and West Brom to stay in the Premier League, which I thought about,” says Ighalo, who moved to Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia instead.
“But, after being at Manchester United, the biggest club in England if not the world, what else could I possibly do in the Premier League?
“I had good offers to stay in England but I just didn’t think I could stay after achieving my dream of playing for the club I had supported since I was young.”
West Brom eventually snapped up another experienced target man in the shape of Mbaye Diagne in January.
And, while the Senegal international has scored only twice in the top flight so far, the presence and physicality he’s given Sam Allardyce’s side in the final third continues to prove invaluable.
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