China Super League
ODION IGHALO MAKES LAST-DITCH SHANGHAI SHENHUA PLEA TO REMAIN AT MAN UTD
Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo is due to return to China next week. But he carries two heavy burdens. The first is the fears of returning to the breading ground of the current coronavirus pandemic.
The second is sporting headache – being cut off from Manchester United, a club he had loved from childhood. It is at the Premiership club that his football career suddenly received a global rejuvenation.
While the suspended Premiership is due to resume on June 12, the China Super League is resuming next week thus compelling Ighalo to return.
According to sources in UK, Ighalo had made pleas with his parent club Shanghai Shenhua to allow him to extend his stay at Manchester United after negotiations between the two sides broke down.
The 30-year-old forward has been on loan at Old Trafford since January and has impressed in his brief spell, scoring four goals in eight appearances before football was suspended.
His deal is due to end on May 31, however, which would have marked the end of the season in normal circumstances.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, however, the Premier League season could be set to be concluded over June and July, and as of yet Shenhua and United have not reached an agreement to allow Ighalo to stay for that period.
The loss of Ighalo would come as a blow to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who may be forced to rely on the recovering Marcus Rashford up-front despite the England striker having not played a competitive match since January after injuring his back.
Ighalo himself would also no doubt be devastated if he is unable to continue to prove his worth at United, especially as he has often spoken of his long-running love for the club.
He is now due to speak to Shenhua himself in a bid to convince them to change their minds and come to a resolution with United, but it is thought his chances of success hang very much in the balance.
Shenhua have not played since December due to their domestic season being postponed as a result of coronavirus, which was due to start in February, but will now begin next month.
They offered Ighalo a two-year contract extension earlier this year worth £400,000 per week, but Ighalo would rather stay at Old Trafford.
It was reported that Shenhua would be willing to accept a fee of £20million to part company with Ighalo, but as yet there have been no discussions over a permanent switch.
Paris St Germain manager Luis Enrique will hope to count on striker Ousmane Dembele for Sunday’s Club World Cup finale against Chelsea, after a stunning 4-0 thrashing over Real Madrid in the tournament’s penultimate stage.
The Ballon d’Or frontrunner rested the entire group stage after sustaining a thigh injury and was limited to substitute appearances in earlier knockout rounds, getting his first start of the tournament on Wednesday against the LaLiga titans.
He made an immediate impact, aiding Fabian Ruiz in the opening goal in the sixth minute before sending one into the net three minutes later at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Luis Enrique previously told reporters that he believed Dembele is deserving of the Ballon d’Or, and on Wednesday said there was no doubt that the Frenchman had once again shown himself worthy of soccer’s top individual honour.
“I’d like to highlight that this is the first game that I had my best player, Dembele, at his best,” he told reporters. “We’d seen him very little throughout this tournament, this is a critical player, a unique player, a player that every fan wants to see… hopefully we can have him for the final.”
The trophy on Sunday against Chelsea would mark a glittering end to a terrific season, as Luis Enrique steered the team to the continental treble, with a 5-0 defeat of Milan in the Champions League final in his second year with the team.
“We are one game away to not just make history but to build to history of Paris, of a French club that might get every cup, every tournament,” Luis Enrique told reporters. “This is very significant for us, for our fans.”
The Club World Cup final is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (1900 GMT).
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Chinese authorities have banned footballers from getting tattoos and instructed national team players who have been inked to remove or cover them up to set a “good example for society”.
A growing number of high-profile Chinese players have been sporting tattoos, including international defender Zhang Linpeng, who has previously been told to cover up while appearing for both the national team and club side Guangzhou FC.
The General Administration of Sport of China (GAS) said in a statement headed, “Suggestions for strengthening the management of football players” that the Chinese Football Association would set out disciplinary requirements for national team players.
“National teams at all levels will strictly implement the relevant requirements of the management measures … (and) fully demonstrate the positive spirit of Chinese football players and set a good example for society,” it said.
It also said that for teams at Under 20 level and below the recruitment of players with tattoos was “strictly prohibited”.
The GAS added that national teams should organise “ideological and political education activities” that would “strengthen the patriotic education” of players.
Doing so would “enhance the sense of mission, responsibility and honour, and create a national team capable of conquering and fighting well and with excellent style of play”, it added.
China’s national team have failed to qualify for the World Cup finals since making their debut appearance in 2002 and look set to miss out on Qatar 2022.
-Reuters
Former Super Eagles’ hit man, Odion Ighalo is having his last days at his dream club, Manchester United as the extension granted by his Chinese club side, Shanghai Shenhua is nearing an end.
The extension lapses in January 2021. Even though Ighalo made instant impact when he initially joined the North England side, his influence has waned considerably to the extent that he had just nine minute of action in the current season of the Premier League.
Attention of Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is more on how to maximize the signing of Uruguayan striker, Edinson Cavani.
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