Manchester United ‘step up’ efforts for Odion Ighalo replacement
By Bence Bocsak
According to the latest rumours, Manchester United are about to step-up their pursuit of a striker amid the departure of Ighalo.
He was a fearsome finisher. He had an innate ability to pop up at the right time and to put the ball deftly into the back of the net. It was like magic. Time and time again. He was ethereal at Manchester United. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still remembered fondly at Old Trafford. He was a forward who Sir Alex Ferguson could always rely on to score, no matter how deep into stoppage time the game was.
Now as a manager at the club, Solskjaer is lacking a striker of the same ilk with the same goalscoring prowess.
When Odion Ighalo arrived at Old Trafford, not many would have thought the Nigerian would go onto become a cult favourite on the Stretford End and let alone help fill the void left behind by Romelu Lukaku who departed in the summer.
More from Red Devil Armada
- Aaron Wan Bissaka out for ‘several weeks’ with injury
- Manchester United break an unwanted record after Brighton loss
- Sofyan Amrabat set to miss game against Brighton
- Preview: Manchester United vs Brighton – What you need to know
- Jadon Sancho set to train away from first team squad
Nonetheless, the Nigerian forward did exactly that and more. There were shades of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in Odion Ighalo’s play, flickers of the Norwegian’s prolific nature. In 4 starts for the club, Odion Ighalo managed to net in every single one.
As a boyhood fan, the Nigerian gave his blood, sweat and tears on the pitch. He’d hustle and chase down every loose ball.
Yet it seems, Odion Ighalo’s time at Old Trafford will be cut short, and the Red Devils are already looking at potential replacements.
According to French outlet L’Equipe via the Manchester Evening News, Man Utd have ‘stepped up their interest’ in Lyon forward Moussa Dembele.
Moussa Dembele has enjoyed a terrific campaign this season and he could certainly be the prolific goalscorer Solskjaer desperately needs. With the Lyon forward much younger than Ighalo, Dembele fits the transfer strategy at Old Trafford too, which is intent on buying young players with abundant potential.
Having already experienced English football at Fulham and having also played for Celtic, Moussa Dembele will be familiar with the hustle and bustle nature of the Premier League.
His pace will be well suited to Solskjaer’s explosive counter attacking style too.
Red Devils chief receives important transfer boost. dark. Next
Do you think Moussa Dembele could be the right replacement for Odion Ighalo?