Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Praises Odion Ighalo, Talks Possible Permanent Transfer

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said the club will consider signing Odion Ighalo on a permanent basis at the end of the campaign.

The forward arrived at Old Trafford in the January transfer window in a shock loan move, adding some important depth to the attacking positions following an injury to Marcus Rashford. The 30-year-old has made five appearances for the Red Devils, scoring one goal.

The Nigeria international is expected to be in the starting XI when United visit Derby County in the FA Cup fifth round on Thursday. Speaking about Ighalo ahead of the game, Solskjaer said he's been impressed by the on-loan Shanghai Greenland Shenhua striker:

"It doesn't hurt [living the dream], but he's here on merit; he's here because he is a goalscorer and a different type of striker for us. We might get to the summer and think we want to extend this, who knows?

"He's come in as a breath of fresh air as well. He had chances in his five minutes against Chelsea, he scored against Bruges, he had chances against Watford, he had a very good save [from a shot] against Everton—there have been good saves, he doesn't miss the target very often."

Solskjaer added that it's important for the likes of Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood "to learn that it is where the sharks are swimming," referencing Ighalo's goalscoring instincts.

The one goal Ighalo scored came in the UEFA Europa League, helping United to earn a comfortable victory over Club Brugge:

He tweeted that he's loving his time with the Manchester outfit:

On Sunday, the striker had a brilliant chance to snatch a last-gasp win for the Red Devils in the 1-1 draw with Everton. Ighalo could only aim his close-range effort straight at Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, though.

Football writer Liam Canning suggested some of the criticism Ighalo received for that miss was unfair:

Given Ighalo left Premier League club Watford in 2017 to move to the Chinese Super League, the decision to sign him caught plenty by surprise.

However, Rashford's injury left the team desperately short of options in a position where United were already light on numbers. Both Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez moved from Old Trafford to Inter Milan last summer, with Solskjaer opting against signing a proven replacement for either.

Ighalo has impressed his manager, and with United involved in three competitions, he will have a big role to play in the coming months. Nevertheless, if they are to push on next season and become a serious challenger for major honours, they will surely need to look at higher-quality options to lead the line.