Jaap Stam is hoping the Nigerian can show he has the quality to play at the level of Man United.
After watching the retired Super Eagles striker make his debut for United in a 2-0 triumph at Chelsea on Monday night, the Red Devils hero believes Ighalo’s teammates are better than him, and they would have to help the on-loan striker to be a success.
The 30-year-old made his debut with a few minutes of the clash at the Stamford Bridge left, with the visitors already leading thanks to goals from Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire.
That was the first time he would play for a major side in Europe, with Ighalo formerly playing for Udinese, Granada, Watford, and Changchun Yatai.
Ex-United defender, Stam, however, hopes that the rise to play for one of the world’s biggest clubs will not overwhelm the 2019 AFCON top scorer.
“I hope he’s going to surprise people,” Stam told 888Sport via The Express.
“He played for Watford for quite a while and went to China, and he scores goals.
“It might have surprised a lot of people that he went to United, but they needed a striker and one with pace and physique who can score goals, and he is proven.
“The only thing is it’s very different playing for United than smaller teams in the league, but he’s got better players around him who can help him out. We saw that against Chelsea.
“Hopefully, he is going to do well for the club and himself. Hopefully, he performs,” Stam concluded.