Nigeria striker has taken a long road to the summit as he prepares to make his
Manchester United debut at Chelsea
After Odion Ighalo’s unexpected loan move at the end of January and his coronavirus-related quarantine, at Stamford Bridge on Monday he is expected to become the first Nigerian to play for Manchester United. As the unexpected solution to a famous club’s striker shortage, he will be the subject of wild attention and swift judgment, a situation a world away from the one he faced when he first moved to Europe in 2007 and became the latest in an only occasionally glorious line of compatriots attempting to forge a reputation at the Norwegian club Lyn.
The star graduate, Mikel John Obi, had joined
Chelsea the previous year, and the speedy striker Chinedu Obasi had left for Hoffenheim just before Ighalo’s arrival, which followed unsuccessful trials at Sporting and Hertha
Berlin, with the forward Ezekiel Bala and the midfielder Paul Obiefule already in the squad. Coaches at the club were used to evaluating young players as they took their first steps in European football, and the prevailing opinion of Ighalo was that he was likely to achieve only moderate success.