Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has admitted that he initially doubted the club’s decision to sign Odion Ighalo on a temporary basis from Shanghai Shenhua in January.
The Nigerian was a surprise loan signing during the closing hours of the winter transfer window and the decision was taken due to the injury absence of Marcus Rashford.
Ighalo has since made eight appearances for the club across all competitions and he has been hugely influential in the Cup competitions with four goals and one assist from just three starts.
Speaking on Instagram Live, Ferdinand acknowledged that he had doubts regarding the credentials of Ighalo and he is pleased to have been proven wrong.
“Eight games, three starts, four goals and one assist. All you people saying ‘What are we doing signing him?’ I was one of them, I have to admit it,” he told, as relayed by The Mirror.
“He has proved us all wrong. “He is something different if it is not going our way in games. He has affected games every time he has come on the pitch, that is what I like.”
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hinted earlier this month that the club could sign Ighalo on a permanent deal and it won’t be a surprise, given the striker has impressed with his finishing.
With the current shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the season is set to extend into the summer months and that should witness the comeback of Rashford following his back problem.
Solskjaer recently suggested that the Englishman could return to the playing field by May and that could coincide with the restart of the campaign, suppose the COVID-19 threat is curbed by then.
Meanwhile, Ighalo’s current loan deal with the Red Devils expires at the end of May but the club are said to be confident of extending his temporary stay, before considering the option to buy.
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