Odion Ighalo is hoping that his loan deal at Manchester United is extended so that he remain at Old Trafford until the season finally draws to a close.
The 30-year-old arrived in January from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua, providing a reliable option from the bench for United since. The Nigerian has made eight appearances in all competitions, scoring four goal and laying on one assist.
His temporary contract with the Red Devils expires on 31 May and with the Premier League not set to resume until June, this would have to be extended for Ighalo to have any chance of completing the season before returning to China.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the frontman revealed that he would love to continue playing for the club he supported as a youngster.
"I would like to finish the season if it's possible," he said. "I was in good form, good shape, scoring goals and now we've stopped now for over a month. I've given it my best and hopefully we'll come back to play.
"The team had a good momentum before the pandemic started. At the moment I'm on loan, and this will cut short my time at the club."
Would you sign Ighalo on a permanent deal if you were United manager?https://t.co/nvtLEVPeWu
— 90min (@90min_Football) April 11, 2020
Despite this, he insisted that player safety must be guaranteed before football returns.
"The club, myself, every footballer is going through a lot because we can't do what we love and what we know how to do best, so we're just thinking about that for now and to finish the season before we start thinking about the contract," he added.
"I just want everyone to be safe and see what the future holds."
Whenever his loan deal does come to an end, United remain open to signing Ighalo permanently with the player thought to be prepared to take a considerable cut to his £200,000-per-week wages in order to make the move happen.
Source : 90min