Official : Man Utd Confirm First Nigerian-Born Footballer To Play For Club Has Returned To China

Published: January 27, 2021

Through their official website, Manchester United have confirmed that Odion Ighalo has returned to his parent club Shanghai Shenhua following the expiration of his loan deal with the English Premier League side.

It means the former Nigeria international won't be available for selection when the Red Devils take on Sheffield United and Arsenal this week.

Ighalo departs Manchester United without making his full debut in the Premier League, but started games in the Carabao Cup, Emirates FA Cup and Europa League.

The 31-year-old became the first Nigerian-born player to represent the Old Trafford outfit when he came off the bench for the closing minutes of a 2-0 win at Chelsea on February 17, 2020.

Lagos-born winger Tosin Kehinde did not make his professional debut for United before ending his association with the club in the summer of 2018.

On a personal level, the highlight of Ighalo's stay at Manchester United was winning the club's Goal-of-the-Month award for March 2020, for his sparkling effort against LASK in the Europa League.

The former Granada, Udinese and Watford man comes off contract with Shanghai Shenhua in December 2021.

Igho Kingsley

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