Odion Ighalo is in discussions over a move to Dubai after confirming the end of his one-year loan at Manchester United with a heartfelt goodbye on social media.
Ighalo will initially return to Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua at the end of this month ahead of his next transfer – with a £7m-a-year offer from a club in Dubai plus interest from MLS clubs and the Premier League among his options.
The 31-year-old scored five goals across 23 appearances in all competitions for United and provided a low-cost, low-risk option upfront but was phased out following the signing of Edinson Cavani.
The boyhood United fan said in a tweet: ‘It’s so hard to see this dream come to an end.
‘But I give God the glory for helping me fulfill this lifelong dream of putting on a Manchester United shirt as a player and represent this great club, it was indeed an honor I will forever cherish and be grateful for.
‘To the manager, I say thank you for trusting and believing in me when many did not. To my amazing team-mate, I will miss you guys, it was always fun… and I pray we win the league and FA Cup this year.
‘To the best fans in the world (the Manchester United fans) we have missed you, but we hear your voices cheering us on from afar, we can’t wait to have you all back in the stands. ‘I’m still and will remain a Manchester United fan forever. Once a Red, always a Red. Thank you Manchester United and God bless.’
The former Nigeria international Ighalo has openly admitted he would be keen on a move to play in America in the MLS with David Beckham’s Inter Miami.
