Saturday, September 5, 2026

Ighalo set to feature against Watford as his United career draws to a close

Ighalo is expected to return to Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League at the end of January.

• January 8, 2021
Ighalo
Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo [Photo credit: Sky Sports]

Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has confirmed that Nigerian forward Odion Ighalo will play a part in Saturday’s third-round FA Cup tie against his former side Watford.

The gaffer said at a press conference Friday that the 31-year-old striker, who has yet to feature for United since December 2, topped the goalscoring charts during a pre-match training session earlier today.

“I don’t know how many goals he scored today but he was, by a mile, the top scorer in the round-robin we just finished in training, so he’s not lost any of his sharpness or his quality,” the Red Devils’ boss said. “It’s special for Odion to be involved against Watford, he’s in the squad.”

It was not immediately known if Ighalo would be handed his first start since the Carabao Cup tie at Brighton late September.

Tomorrow’s game against the Hornets has been touted as Ighalo’s last in a Manchester United shirt, having managed only four appearances for the Red Devils this season.

The former Watford striker, who netted 33 times for the Hertfordshire-based team in the English topflight between 2014–2017, has yet to score a premier league goal for United.

Ighalo is expected to return to Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League when his loan deal at the Manchester club expires at the end of January.

The ex-Nigerian international, a longtime admirer of the Red Devils, took a massive pay cut to cement his childhood dream move to Old Trafford early 2020.

His potential farewell appearance against Watford has, however, ignited mixed feelings amongst United fans.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

President Bola Tinubu

NationWide

Tinubu saved Nigeria’s economy from collapse: TSG

Mr Tanko-Yakasai said the president took over a shattered, battered economy and turned it around, stabilising it.

cassava

Economy

Cassava ‌⁠‍‍⁠⁠‌‍‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌can become Nigeria’s crude oil, agriculture expert says

“Our cassava is our crude oil. Just as crude oil transformed the fortunes of nations, cassava can transform the fortunes of our people,” Mr Apeh said.

APC LOGO

Heading 1

Kwankwaso loyalists dump NDC, defect to APC in Kano

Some allies of the NDC vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso defected to the APC in Kano State on Saturday.

Image used to illustrate the story

Heading 2

Contractors urge FG to clear unpaid debts

Mr Nwosu appealed to the federal government to prioritise payment of verified debts owed to indigenous contractors to ease their financial difficulties.

Shooting Stars vs CS Sfaxien

Sport

Shooting Stars beat Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien 1-0 in CAF Confederation Cup

Lucky Emmanuel scored the decisive goal in the 25th minute to give the Nigerian side a deserved lead before the break.

A photo of Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun state wearing adire

States

Gov Abiodun seeks stronger Ogun-Tunisia ties in sports development

The governor specifically sought collaboration to develop and reposition Gateway Football Club.