Inform Manchester United loanee, Odion Ighalo was live on an Instagram chat with Ghanaian sports journalist Nana Aba and the former Super eagle’s striker revealed the real reason he called it a quit with his international career with the Super Eagles after coming out top scorer at Africa Cup of Nations in 2019.
The China-based player who came for a loan spell with Manchester United from Shanghai Shenhua says that he needed to concentrate on club football. He further explained that coming to and fro China for national duties was really telling on him as it is very difficult to shuffle between both countries and it wears him out.
He also explains that the decision was quite easy putting into consideration that there are younger talents that can easily replace him in the team. In his words “I needed to stop because it is too long from China to Nigeria for national team duties, I am not getting younger again and we have a lot of young exciting players coming up, Victor Osimhen doing so well, Iwobi and Chukwueze are there”.
“I thought about it, this is the right time for me to leave,” he said. “It was a difficult decision because I love playing for my country, it’s a country that gave me everything I have today so anytime I am being called upon to play for my country it is a joy to play”.
The goal machine said but for his health, he would still be playing for the Super eagles. “That decision was difficult but I have to do it for my health for me to play longer in my club career, then I have to stop travelling very far.
Ighalo appeared in 34 matches for Super Eagles and scored 15 goals. His first appearance for super Eagles was in 2015 in a friendly match with Uganda after being the captain of the Flying Eagles.
