BEVERLY HILLS, January 26, (THEWILL) – After scoring five goals in seven starts and 18 appearances in all the colours of English Premier League club Manchester United, Nigerian forward Jude Odion Oghalo’s time playing for the Red Devils had come to an end with the expiration of his loan spell from Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua at the end of this month.
In a heartfelt message posted online by the 31-year-old on Tuesday night, he expressed his joy at having fulfilled his dream of putting on the jersey of his favourite club while giving thanks to the club for the opportunity to play at the Theatre of Dreams.
He joined United in January last year on an initial six-month deal that was later extended to 12 months as he proved himself as a useful back-up option in the attack line for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer whose United side have grown in strength and confidence to the very summit of the EPL with no signs of letting off.
However, Ighalo has not seen as much playing time this season as the arrival of Uruguayan veteran Edinson Cavani in the summer transfer window restricted opportunities for the Nigerian professional and Solskjaer confirmed that there was to be no further loan extension beyond January.
In his emotional post, Ighalo laid his heart bare: “It’s so hard to see this dream come to an end. But, I give God the glory for helping me fulfill this life long dream of putting on a Manchester United shirt as a player and representing 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 mates I will miss you guys, it was always fun and a time I look forward to training and spending time with all of you. And I pray we win the LEAGUE and FA cup this year
He was sure not to leave the fans out: “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 on the stands.
“I’m still and would remain a MANCHESTER UNITED FAN forever. Once a Red, always a Red.
“Thank you @manchesterunited and God bless.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
