Manchester United: Ighalo Odion's Loan Contract Extended Until January

Manchester United have extended Ighalo Odion's loan contract until the end of January 2021 after reaching an agreement with Shanghai Shenhua. 

The initial loan contract offered to the striker expired on Sunday, May 31, and United have been keen on retaining him for a much longer time but the player's buyout fee of £20 million stood in the way. The previous six-month deal was suffered interference from the football suspension over the Covid-19 pandemic before which he had made eight appearances for the side. 

Speaking on the contract extension, United manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer said, "They [Shanghai Shenhua] have been great towards us allowing him to play for his dream club."

United had eleven successive game wins before the break of which the former Watford forward played a significant role in the side qualification for the quarter-final of the FA Cup. He scored a brace in United's 3-0 win over Derby County that sealed that place in the last eight of the competition. 

Ighalo has until the end of 2022 in his contract with the Chinese Super League side which they have offered to extend by two years with a wage increase to £400,000/week - that is an increase of £100,000/week.