Manchester United are reportedly considering a loan swoop for former Premier League striker Odion Ighalo as cover for the injured Marcus Rashford.

In a rather shocking development, Manchester United are plotting a loan move for former Watford centre-forward Odion Ighalo, who currently plies his trade for Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai Shenhua reports Sky Sports.

Manchester United are in the market for attacking reinforcements in the January transfer window after star striker Marcus Rashford was ruled out of action for at least three months with a back injury. This has left Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with the inconsistent Anthony Martial and teenager Mason Greenwood as the only centre-forwards at his disposal.

Manchester United have been desperately trying to address this issue, but are yet to taste success, having already been snubbed by Erling Haaland and most recently by Edinson Cavani. With little time left in the transfer window, the Red Devils are getting desperate to bring in a new striker, which has led them to former Watford striker Ighalo.

Ighalo joined the Hornets back in 2014, helping them to a promotion to the Premier League in his first season at the club. In his debut campaign in the English top-flight, the Nigerian international was a force to be reckoned with, finishing with 16 goals in 37 league games.

Ighalo on Manchester United's radar (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Ighalo on Manchester United’s radar (Photo by Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images)

However, the 30-year-old experienced a major dip in form in the next season, managing just one goal in 18 matches. Midway through the 2016-17 campaign, Ighalo secured a move to Chinese outfit Changchun Yatai. The striker spent two years at the club, scoring 36 goals in 55 matches before signing for Shanghai Shenhua in February last year.

Ighalo made 19 appearances for the Chinese Super League club in his first season, netting 10 goals on the way to winning the Chinese Cup. The 30-year-old has two years left on his current contract with the club, but Manchester United are mulling over the possibility of signing him on loan till the end of the season as a stop-gap option.

Ighalo has the experience of playing in the Premier League and enjoyed one good season in the English top-flight. However, the Nigerian struggled in his second year and has since not played at the highest level, which would be a cause of concern.

The report further adds that along with Ighalo, Manchester United are also looking at Leicester City’s Islam Slimani, who is currently on loan at AS Monaco, as another potential candidate to help them push for a top-four finish in the second half of the campaign.

It is no secret that Manchester United need a new attacker at the earliest, but it remains to be seen if they do decide to act on their speculated interest in Ighalo or turn their attention towards alternate targets.

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