Ex-Burnley Winger Okenla Explains Why Man Utd Fans Were Initially Skeptical Over Ighalo Signing

Former Burnley and Birmingham City winger Folorunso Okenla has argued that Manchester United fans were initially skeptical over the signing of Odion Ighalo in the January transfer window because the former Watford striker fell off the radar when he moved to the Chinese League.

Having been linked with the likes of PSG's Edinson Cavani and Norwegian teenage scoring sensation Erling Haaland, supporters expected United to make a marquee signing but they scrambled to get the Ighalo deal over the line in the final hours of the winter transfer market.

Now Ighalo's doubters have become his biggest fans after the former Nigeria international scored three goals in his first two starts for the Red Devils in a space of one week.

"Ighalo is not a stranger to the Premier League, he played for Watford and on some many occasions he played against Manchester United," Okenla said.

"The only difference now is he'll be playing for Manchester United and when he played against the big boys in the league as a player of Watford, a lesser club compared to Manchester United, Manchester City, Everton and the rest of them, he did very well.

"The pressure is there simply because he left England and went to China.

"If he had remained in England and he was signed as a player playing for any English team I don't think we'll be talking about him the way we are talking about him now."

Okenla has predicted that Ighalo will be a success at Manchester United as he's now a better player than he was three years ago when he swapped the English Premier League for China.

"He is even better than the player that played against them as a player from Watford. When opportunities present themselves he was able to take them, he will do the same thing with Manchester United.

"I don't have any doubt in my mind that in the next two or three weeks they will talk about him in good light," Okenla concluded.

Ighalo, 30, has been involved in the last seven games contested by Manchester United, logging 233 minutes in all competitions.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel