Nigerian footballer, Odion Ighalo, has opened up on his exit from Manchester United after being snubbed by the manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, during his loan spell at his dream club.

Ighalo set the record as the first Nigerian to play for United when he made the surprise switch from Chinese side, Shanghai Shenhua, in January 2020 to Old Trafford.

The ex-Super Eagle striker had snubbed interests from other Premier League sides, including Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham, to join The Red Devils.

The former Watford striker helped Solskjaer’s side to three semifinals which they lost, scoring five goals in 23 appearances in all competitions for United.

United renewed his initial six-month loan deal till the end of January 2021 but he had to sit on the bench for most of the campaign, forcing him to leave the club to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Shabab.

In an interview with Sky Sports, the 31-year-old said, “there wasn’t much possibility because I wanted more playing time. At my age, I want to play and not just sit on the bench and not have any minutes.

“I didn’t just want to be there picking up a salary – I wanted to be involved so I said to my agent that if an offer comes in, I will look at it and see what’s best for me, which is what I did.

“I’m so happy that my path crossed with Manchester United – it’s the club I love with all my heart and for all my life so playing for them was a big privilege that I do not take for granted.

“No matter the circumstances that led me to leave, I will always be grateful to the coach, my team-mates, the fans, and everyone around Manchester United.”

Asked if he felt he got the chances he deserved, Ighalo said that “after my initial loan was extended, I did not play much which was perhaps a bit unfair but as I said, I am always grateful for the opportunity.

“When I joined, I always knew I wouldn’t be playing every game because I was signing as a back-up striker so I knew playing time was going to be limited.

“There were certain games where I thought I would play but that’s the decision of the coach and I am not holding anything against anyone.

“I am just grateful to Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer), the fans, my team-mates, and everyone around the club for making me feel at home and I thank God that I played for my dream club and scored goals at Old Trafford.”

Ighalo was however full of praise for Solskjaer for the opportunity to play for his dream club, admitting he passed up on a chance to remain in the league because there was nothing better in the PL for him other than United.

“He’s a good guy, a calm guy, and I never saw him get angry – perhaps during a game when we were losing but the day after that it was totally forgotten because the next game was always more important than the last one,” he said of Solskjaer.

“He knows how to manage the boys and talks to you, especially when you are not playing,” he added.

Ighalo continued, “I have massive respect and time for him and thanks to him, I had the opportunity to play for Manchester United. Without him, that would not have been possible, so I am always grateful to him, no matter what.

“He’s an intelligent coach. Tactically he’s good but with a team like Manchester United, a big team with a lot of good players, everyone wants to play.”