Manchester United should sign a better striker than Ighalo this summer

Odion Ighalo has played well since joining Manchester United on loan in January, but the Red Devils should sign a better striker than the Nigerian this summer.

Manchester United’s reluctance to sign a starting centre-forward after selling Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan last summer was nothing short of foolish – and the majority of fans knew it as well. For some reason, the club only figured this out in time for the final day of the January transfer window, where they picked up Odion Ighalo on loan from Shanghai Shenhua until the end of the season.

The Ighalo signing was widely mocked by football fans around the world, including some Manchester United fans too, but the Nigerian striker has managed to prove people wrong in the short amount of time that he’s been at the club. He scored 4 goals across 4 matches in the Europa League and FA Cup, but was used rather sparingly in the Premier League, playing just 30 minutes across 4 separate matches.

Now, Manchester United are reportedly set to make this transfer permanent, according to the Daily Mail. While the striker’s initial loan was supposed to last until May 31st, it is likely to be extended until June 30th due to the season’s postponement. After that, Manchester United have a £15m option to buy, which the Daily Mail claims they will likely take.

My question is – why?

It’s true that Ighalo has been a good bit of business for Manchester United, and extending his loan is smart, but what’s the point of signing him permanently? This summer, many superior strikers will become available, and maybe even for cut-price fees due to COVID-19’s impact on finances across the football world.

With the pulling power Manchester United still has, despite not being a major force in world football any longer, they could attract players like Timo Werner, Luka Jovic, Victor Osimhen, or even Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the club.

Also, they have Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, and Mason Greenwood all capable of playing 2nd or 3rd fiddle for the striker role, along with being regular starters out wide. Keeping Ighalo around might over-saturate the forward group and prevent Manchester United from reaching their goalscoring potential.

While the price is cheap and his form has been good, there’s also a good chance that Ighalo fails to keep up the form and ends up being a fringe player in the near future – especially as he turns 31 in a few months.

Rather than spending the £15m to keep Ighalo around, Manchester United should keep those funds in the bank in order to sign a true starting-calibre centre-forward to match what their rivals have in players like Aguero, Kane, Aubameyang, and Firmino.