Ighalo intends to keep living the dream at Man Utd despite limited game

Odion Ighalo is determined to keep living the dream at Manchester United, with the Nigerian striker vowing to give his all whenever called upon by the Red Devils.

The 31-year-old frontman has found regular game time hard to come by of late.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been favouring other options in his attacking unit, leaving Ighalo to play a supporting role.

He is, however, delighted to be part of the fold at Old Trafford – having grown up supporting United.

Ighalo’s efforts on the back of an initial loan move from Shanghai Shenhua in January earned him an extended stay on the Red Devils’ books, with a deal done through to early 2021.

There will be many more opportunities for him to see minutes, and to open his Premier League goal account for United.

With that in mind, Ighalo will be giving his all to the collective cause as he vows not to let struggles for recognition cast a cloud over his time in Manchester.

He told BBC Sport: “That energy, that positivity, that happiness, never change. You can see that smile on my face every time I go in there.

“It's not every man's dream that comes to pass, well mine did. My kids will grow up and see that I played for a team that I supported from when I was young, I cried when they lose and all of that.

“I want to keep doing what I need to do until the last day that I play for the club.”

Ighalo has netted five goals for United, through 20 appearances in all competitions, and will never forget the feeling of finding the target for the first time.

That effort came in a Europa League clash with Club Brugge, with Juan Mata teeing him up to tap home from close range.

Ighalo added on his experiences to date: “My favourite moment is when I scored my first goal for Manchester United.

“I was the first Nigerian to play for Manchester United, the first Nigerian to score for Manchester United.

“I could not sleep in the night, waking up, checking my phone messages from all over the world from friends and family and all that. It means a lot to me.”

Ighalo saw nine minutes off the bench in United’s 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday, as Solskjaer’s side stumbled out of the blocks in 2020-21, but may be given an opportunity to impress from the start when the Red Devils face Luton in the Carabao Cup third round on Tuesday.