I took a pay cut to join Manchester United - supporters loved me but then my dream got dashed

When Marcus Rashford was hit with a stress fracture to his back in January 2020, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer described the setback as a 'bad injury', anticipating Rashford's absence for a couple of months.

The injury prompted United into action during the winter transfer window, though their choices were somewhat restricted. The signing of Odion Ighalo from Shanghai Shenhua came as a bolt from the blue to many fans.

At 30 years old and with his most recent Premier League experience being at Watford, Ighalo's return to English football was unexpected. He joined on a six-month loan deal sealed on the final day of the January window, marking United's first deadline-day signing since Anthony Martial in 2015, and it bore all the signs of a desperate last-ditch effort.

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The club had previously shown interest in Joshua King but ultimately decided to pursue Ighalo, whose agent engaged in late discussions with then-executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. "It's been hectic," admitted Ighalo's agent, Atta Aneke, after the completion of the loan agreement.

"I talked to Manchester United's top boss [Ed Woodward] for a few days in advance. It was quiet on Thursday, and then I got the impression that nothing would happen.

"Suddenly, in the middle of the day on Friday, things started to move. It was then at 11 o'clock in the evening in Shanghai. It was hectic phone business. Everyone had to stay awake until five or six in the morning in Shanghai. Odion has been a United supporter since childhood.

"It's incredibly big. When he left for China, he did not expect to be brought to United as a 30-year-old.