Ex-Man Utd striker Ighalo reveals why he turned down possible moves to Spurs, West Ham, West Brom

Former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo has revealed that he turned down possibles moves to West Brom and West Ham before switching to Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab in the winter transfer market.

The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations top scorer also confirmed that he rejected Tottenham Hotspur because he wanted to play for his dream club Manchester United.

Ighalo is the first Nigerian-born footballer to play for Manchester United's first team and tallied 5 goals in 23 matches during his one-year association with the Red Devils.

On rumours about a move to Spurs before joining United, Ighalo told Sky Sports : "That was close - my agent called me and told me they had offered to match whatever I was earning but once I heard Manchester United were interested, there was no turning back.

"I couldn't think about anything else other than making the Manchester United deal work. I was going to have to take a pay cut but I didn't care, I just wanted the deal to happen.

"I just wanted to play for Manchester United. It's my dream club and it was always going to be a privilege for me to play at Old Trafford.

"I'm just so grateful to God that it happened. Every day I wake up and I know that I am an ex-Manchester United player. It is something that I will never take for granted."

Ighalo explained why he rejected West Ham and West Brom when the two Premier League clubs came knocking on the door in search of his services.

"Yeah, there was the possibility of West Ham and West Brom to stay in the Premier League, which I thought about.

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?" he said.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel