The on-loan forward is a known Red Devils fan, and he has revealed how one of the greatest managers of all time made him fall in love with the club.
Odion Ighalo has confessed that the way Sir Alex Ferguson turned Manchester United into a winning machine made him adore the club as a kid, a feeling he retains to date.
Ferguson managed Manchester United through one of the club’s most successful period before his retirement in 2013.
The Scot won more trophies than any other manager in the history of football, including 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, and two UEFA Champions League titles.
Many of those titles United won while Ighalo was growing up as a little boy in Ajegunle, Lagos state. And the desire to support a winning team played a big part in how his love for the Red Devils started.
“Back then, Manchester United were the best team in England. They won every game, every season you’d see them winning the Premier League when Sir Alex Ferguson was here,” the former Watford striker told Sky Sports.
“Everybody wants to associate with a team that’s winning, and that’s how I associated myself. I was very young then, and growing up, I followed the team to today.
“Back then, they also had an association of Man United fans so there would be a meeting once a week to talk about Man United, like a little fan forum.
“When I remember all that now, I laugh and say ‘wow, from Ajegunle to the Theatre of Dreams’. It’s a great moment for me, and I’m enjoying every bit of it.
“It is the happiest moment of my life, playing for my dream team, the team I supported when I was young.”
Ighalo has netted three goals in just two starts for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men and is in line to feature in Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.