Odion Ighalo's Agent Says He's 'Reaping What He Deserves' at Manchester United

The agent of Manchester United forward Odion Ighalo has said the striker is "reaping what he deserves" with the club he grew up supporting after making a successful start at Old Trafford.

Ighalo has scored four goals in only three starts for United (eight total appearances) after joining the club on a six-month loan from Shanghai Shenhua in January.

The 30-year-old is something of a journeyman, with United being the 10th club of his senior career, and his agent, Patrick Bastianelli, described the transfer to Old Trafford as "a prize" for his client's hard work. 

Bastianelli told Tuttosport (h/t Sport Witness): "Odion is reaping what he deserves after many sacrifices, after many years around Europe. Manchester is a prize for everything he's shown in recent years."

Ighalo—who scored 15 Premier League goals for Watford during the 2015-16 campaign—said in his first interview as a United player that he had dreamed of playing for the English giants since he was young.

Marcus Rashford's absence due to a double stress fracture in his back meant United were forced to make a late signing in January, and Ighalo's performances and personality have quickly made him a hit among fans.

The forward recently shared photos from his trip to the Ighalo Orphanage Home, a site in northern Lagos, Nigeria, which he helped build in 2017:

Bastianelli added: "It's part of his character, of his great seriousness. He scored many goals. He always has a positive attitude. Odion is a person who always looks ahead, always in a positive way."

Ighalo's first experience of European football was with Norwegian outfit Lyn. He joined the Pozzo family-owned Udinese in 2008 but was farmed out to Cesena and Granada (also owned by the Pozzos) before finding his way to a third Pozzo-owned club, Watford, in 2014.

He helped bring both Granada and Watford to the top tiers of Spanish and English football, respectively, before spending the past three years of his career in China.

Ighalo has yet to score in 31 minutes of Premier League football across four matches since his return, though he has played an important role in steadying United up top in some of those substitute appearances.

His most recent strike for the club was a superb juggling effort during Thursday's 5-0 hammering of LASK Linz in the UEFA Europa League round of 16:

Ighalo told his agent he didn't care how much his pay would be cut if it meant playing for United prior to the deal, a determination that could put him in good stead to complete a permanent move come the summer.

His prolific numbers so far at Old Trafford may be enough to convince the club despite the fact that he turns 31 in June, with United benefiting from his experience and upbeat personality thus far.