His fairytale run at Manchester United may have been put on hold for now following the coronavirus outbreak, but Nigerian striker, Odion Ighalo, still took out time to praise his three ‘brothers’ at Manchester United for helping him to settle at the club.
Ighalo pulled off a surprise loan move during the January transfer window from Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, and has been an instant hit at Old Trafford, scoring four goals in as many starts.
Widely praised for adapting to the English game after a spell in the Chinese league, the 30-year-old striker however credits goalkeepers David de Gea and Sergio Romero and midfielder Juan Mata for their impactful assistance which made his transition back to the Premier League easier.
“I have a lot of guys there who have helped me. The guys in the dressing room are very good guys.
“The first time I stepped my feet in that dressing room – wow. There are two or three players that took me and made me feel welcome and comfortable.
“After two or three days we started living like brothers, like I’ve been there for five years, laughing together and cracking jokes together.
“Especially Juan Mata, De Gea and the other goalkeeper Romero, because they speak Spanish and I speak Spanish.”
Ighalo, who quit the Nigerian national team in 2019, is set to put pen to paper on a permanent deal with the Red Devils when the season restarts.
