Solskjaer: Ighalo is a natural striker
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has described Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo as a natural striker and he is satisfied with his performance for Manchester United against Club Brugge.
The loan-signing grabbed his first goal for the club in the 5-0 victory.
But it is the attributes Ighalo offers that pleases Solskjaer.
“I think, as a fellow striker myself, I know important that first goal is and he’s been close a couple of times. You can see he sniffs goals, he wants to be there, where it sometimes hurts. That goal, he was sharp in his head and, as that ball is played over to Juan, he spins and was on the six-yard line when Juan puts it there. That’s a natural striker.”
Before he arrived in England, Solskjær played for Norwegian clubs Clausenengen and Molde. He joined Manchester United in 1996 for a transfer fee of £1.5 million. Nicknamed “the Baby-faced Assassin”, he played 366 times for United and scored 126 goals during a successful period for the club. He was regarded as a “super-sub” for his knack of coming off the substitute bench to score late goals.
“Ighalo plays up front, he can play with his back to goal and the goal was a good example of what you want of him.
“He can hold up the ball and he is what we have been lacking a little bit. If we hadn’t had Odion tonight then Mason Greenwood would have had to play and we have a game on Sunday and that would put us in a tiring position. We knew what we got when we signed him.”
Ighalo had made two brief substitute appearances before the game following his shock loan move from China but he started against Brugge and found himself on the goal sheet when he converted Juan Mata’s cutback midway through the first half. Martial missed the game through injury
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Ighalo could keep his place in the starting XI for Sunday’s trip to Everton as Anthony Martial is a doubt with a thigh injury. The Frenchman was with the squad before the 5-0 win against Brugge but failed a late fitness test after complaining about a thigh issue. Martial has scored in each of his last three appearances but Solskjaer will have to choose between Ighalo and Greenwood should the former Monaco man be unavailable.