By Daily Sports on February 4, 2020

Put aside fans rivalry, forget about the talk of some youth players from Nigerian roots who have donned the Red and Black before, Odion Ighalo is set to become Nigeria’s first player to step into the pitch as player of one of the world’s most followed club, Manchester United.

It has rightly been made a big deal of news as Nigerians are generally happy to have one of their own play for a club so beloved by millions of Nigerians and which has as well a cult following worldwide.

Forget, as well, about the fact that Ighalo’s signing, in the eyes of many, represents nothing much of a desperate signing by a club in dire need of somebody, anybody, to score goals for them as their main striker Marcus Rashford is currently crocked and will be out for a while.

The fact is that out of the millions of players who call themselves attackers worldwide, United have opted for Ighalo and its no mean feat.

Ighalo has had a rollercoaster career that has seen him rise to become a good striker for Watford, but one who couldn’t shake off Troy Deeney as Watford’s main man upfront to one whose goals helped Nigeria to the World cup in Russia in 2018 only to be badly maligned for his misses in that World Cup.

It’s a career that saw him resurrect himself with the Nigerian national team with a top scorer performance in last year's African Cup of Nations in Egypt to abruptly announcing his retirement from the Super Eagles.

It’s a career that took him from England to faraway China as huge money called in the Chinese league but one that has now, as coronavirus disease threatens to ravage China, seen him return millions of miles back to London to represent the great Manchester United.

Lots of pundits in the British sporting press have been going on about how underwhelming the signing of Ighalo is for United and this point of view is shared by many United fans worldwide.

They sure would have preferred to see an Edison Cavani or an Erling Haaland, big name strikers ago the club attempted to buy this January but failed.

Well, big name recognition is not a guarantee to success as United fans who have watched big arrivals like Angel Di Maria, Memphis Delay and most notably Alexis Sanchez flop would or should very well know.

Conversely, small name arrivals can turnout to be massive success in the course of time. That’s football for you.

This of course is not to say Ighalo is a small name. His profile as a goalscorer both for clubs and country have been rightly talked up by Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Ighalo at his best cannot be inferior to the performances put up by United’s present crop of strikers.

What is key is how United actually use him. The set-up of the team tactically will be crucial to how the Nigerian burly attack performs in his loan spell at United.

What will be will be. But for now, Nigerians, ever battered by a constant stream of negative news about the country’s image have one more reason to savour national pride as one of their sons play for the world’s most followed club side.

If United’s current wobbly performances have caused a serious apathy among their fan base worldwide, well that trend is set to be halted in Nigeria as millions will their own to success for the Red Devils.

Kanu Nwankwo brought many Nigerian fans to Arsenal by his very presence and exciting displays for the London club. Mikel Obi did same for Chelsea as many Nigerians were converted to Chelsea fans because of Mikel. Well, United arguably already have the largest fanbase amongst European clubs in Nigeria but Ighalo is set to reignite any dying interests in the club amongst Nigerians.

If he succeeds at United, it will be another sweet twist in his rollercoaster journey as a footballer.

Source Daily Sports

Posted February 4, 2020

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