Former Super Eagles striker, Daniel Amokachi has come out to explain why Odion Ighalo is has not started a Premier League game for Manchester United.
Daniel Amokachi said Ighalo would find it hard to displace Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial in Manchester United’s starting line-up as he was only bought to play as a ‘backup’ striker.
Ighalo joined Manchester United on loan in January from Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua. He came at a time when Rashford was diagnosed of a back injury which ruled him out for three months in January.
Ighalo hit the ground running by scoring four goals and providing one assist in his first four starts. His exploits earned him a contract loan extension with Manchester United until January 2021. He has scored five goals and provided one assist in 14 appearances in competitions since he joined the club he supported as a kid.
Despite his blistering form in cup competitions, Ighalo has not started a Premier League game for Manchester United and Amokachi feels as long as Martial and Rashford are fit, Ighalo will remain on the bench.
While talking to Brila FM recently, Amokachi said: “Manchester United brought in Odion Ighalo from Shanghai Shenhua as a back up to then injured Rashford. Now, Rashford is back from injury and so Ighalo has to take a back seat again.
“Our brother Odion was not loaned from Shanghai Shenhua as a starter at Man United but he has scored in the matches he started so Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may even decide that he has done well and deserves to have an extended time there, you never know.
“We cannot expect him to have more playing time than the likes of Rashford and Anthony Martial because he is only a back up there.”
