IKENWA NNABUOGOR pours cold water on the barrage of criticisms coming from ex-English Premier League players, confident proven goal scorer Odion Ighalo will again shame critics…
The recent barrage of criticisms against the transfer of Odion Ighalo to Manchester United especially from the former players of the Premier League only smacks of sheer jealousy and calculated ploy to discourage the latest United acquisition.
Ighalo has been in the media for unnecessary attack since he penned the loan deal that will take him through the rest of the season from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua.
The latest to join the spat is former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who claimed the striker must be the “luckiest” player alive.
Though luck plays great role in all human endeavours, but were Ighalo English or Brazil or even Dutch, Hasselbaink would must probably have been hailing the egg heads at United for pulling off a great transfer coup.
One thing is for sure – the only way Ighalo knows best to reply critics is to score goals and have them eat back their words.
United are in dire straits in the department of goal scoring and since Marcus Rashford has left with his boots, the striker that fitted the void perfectly was Ighalo and had United wasted time, Inter Milan and Spurs would have pounced on him.
Ighalo has interesting histories to fall back on and United were “lucky” to recognise them and bring him in. Several times, Ighalo proved he was worth his salt when difficult moments threatened. He has come out of them hotter and more daring.
He might be 30 and hitting his career’s home stretch gradually, critics may argue but United did it with Teddy Sherringham, who arrived Old Trafford aging but his goals lifted United to a treble.
“Lucky” United went from strength to strength with Sherringham whose greatest story was the unforgettable equaliser against Bayern Munich in the final of 1999 UEFA Champions League which United won 2-1.
Like Sherringham, Ighalo will reply his critics with goals and have them sing glory, glory, glory Manchester United.
Remember his childhood’s United memories are still painted in “red” and the fire of fulfilling his dreams is still burning in him.
But these critics are firing Ighalo up in a way because his experience with Nigeria fans when he misfired at the last World Cup in Russia with the Super Eagles only for him to defy death threats and go on to be crowned top scorer at last year’s AFCON in Egypt.
He could now be the man to fire Manchester United out of the woods and force chorusing fans to chant the United anthem again.
Who knows?
