Three former Super Eagles stars, Adokie Amesiemeka, Daniel Amokachi and Ifeanyi Udeze have urged former Super Eagles striker, Odion Ighalo, to dump Manchester United and take the £400,000 per week offer from his parent club, Shanghai Shenhua, of China.
This means Ighalo should only complete his loan deal with United and return to China.
Although Ighalo has already enacted promising marks in only two months with United, with four goals in only three starts and five substitute appearances, Adokie is of a view that the former Super Eagles’ striker stands a better chance of cementing his future by accepting Shenhua’s offer.
Adokie, fondly called ‘Chief Justice’ during his playing days said during a debate ignited on social media that Ighalo should look to the long term values he will get from returning to Shenhua in the vastly-improved contract that the Chinese Super League club plan to give him till 2024.
Incidentally, Ighalo took a pay cut to seal his six-month loan spell at Old Trafford, where he finally got the opportunity to live his long held dream of one day playing for the club he supported as a kid in Ajegunle area of Lagos, but Adokie is of a view that professional football goes beyond mere sentiments and emotions.
Adokie said: “What is Man United offering Ighalo? Peanuts, in comparison! Unless there are hidden details we do not know about, Ighalo should accept the offer from China without hesitation. He always wanted to play for Manchester United, right?
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Well, he has done so, hasn’t he? And on top of that, he’s also given a very good account of himself. At 30, he may not play serious professional football for more than a couple of years more.
Speaking on a radio programme monitored in Lagos, Amokachi said the striker should take the offer and dump the Red Devils.
Amokachi said: “I am saying it again, he should leave United and take the offer,” he said.
“In as much as it is good for him playing in England, he also needs the money at this point in his career especially with his age.
“Let him take it as his retirement payment and give his best for the next two years because I don’t think he can get such offer again.”
Also, former defender Udeze, said at this stage of Ighalo’s career, he should go for the money because he is not getting any younger.
Udeze said: “At 30, I think he should be playing more for money because we can’t say he is looking for fame again.
“He already played in England and Spain, played for the national team and also becoming the highest goal scorer at the Africa Cup of Nations, so nothing much to play for again.
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“During my career, in as much as I want the best, I will surely weigh such offer and personally I will tell him to go for the China offer and leave United.”
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