Premier League Rumors: Manchester United May Resume Season Without Ighalo

The tide has quickly shifted over at Manchester United as far as Odion Ighalo's future is concerned. Though most felt that the 30-year-old Nigerian seemed like a cinch to make a permanent move to Old Trafford, it appears the COVID-19 pandemic has altered those plans. Hence, there is a big possibility that the Red Devils may resume their season without the Nigerian striker.

In a previous post, it was mentioned how United seems bent on acquiring Ighalo from Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua. Doing so made plenty of sense since the Nigerian has been performing well under the watch of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But it appears there has been a change in plans due to several complications.

One of the complications is that the loan deal between United and Shenua is valid only until the end of May. The league plans to resume by June, meaning it would take immediate negotiations between the Red Devils and Shenhua, ESPN reported. As of this writing, nothing has been reported and there is the belief that the Chinese team had its mindset on a potential buyout worth £20 million.

The sudden turn of events would be a big disappointment to Ighalo who seemed equally ready to fulfill a childhood dream. He has fit in perfectly on offense, filling up the void left by Romelu Lukaku and the injured Marcus Rashford. Ighalo was ready to finish the current season had it not been for the coronavirus. But as things stand now, he may not even get to finish his stint with the Red Devils because of his contract.

"You don't just rush and do things: 'I'm going here, I'm going here.' I have to sit down and finish the season well, sit down with my agent, see what's on the ground: 'A, B, C, D, is on the ground. Okay we have to pick,'" Ighalo was quoted of saying by Elegbete TV.

It remains unclear why Solskjaer opted to hold off on negotiations for Ighalo. But a possible reason is due to the financial problems most teams are experiencing right now. Funding will be limited, meaning Solskjaer will have to spend wisely on targets. He is unlikely to get players on his wish list due to the constraint. And from this development, it appears Ighalo is not one of them - unless a sudden change of heart happens.