Odion Ighalo has revealed that he modeled his game after two Manchester United legends in Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke in his formative years as a footballer.
The Shanghai Shenhua loanee pointed out that he used to watch how they played the game and their movements.
Given the way Ighalo has started his career at Old Trafford, with 4 goals in his first three starts, the legendary Manchester United strikers would be proud of his achievement so far.
"Yeah, I would say that as a striker I watched Andy Cole a lot and Dwight Yorke. They were great strikers and scored a lot of goals," Ighalo told United's official website.
"So I would watch their movements, the way they played, the way they created space for themselves, watching the way they met crosses behind defenders. I learned all of that and it has helped me a lot in my football career."
Apart from Cole and Yorke, Ighalo added that 1996 Olympic Games gold medalists Nwankwo Kanu and Austin Okocha were his footballing heroes growing up.
"Well, I had a lot of football heroes. When I started supporting Man United, Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole were my heroes growing up. And some Nigerian players as well like Jay-Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu.
"They are great players, they were my heroes growing up and I watched them on TV. It is a great privilege for me to play at Man United, where great players like Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole have played," the Manchester United number 25 added.
Igho Kingsley
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December 28, 2025
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