Odion Ighalo is nearing the end of his temporary deal at Old Trafford, but Moses Simon believes the striker deserves to have his stay in England extended.
The Levante-owned winger is backing Ighalo to make his loan deal with Manchester United permanent, insisting such a move would be good for the Shanghai Shenhua forward, his family, and Nigeria.
Ighalo has impressed since joining Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side in January with the former Watford man netting four goals in eight appearances for the Red Devils.
But with his loan deal running out at the end of May, Ighalo's future is yet undecided with Shenhua and United locked in contractual talks regarding the 2019 AFCON top goal scorer.
Former United star Dimitar Berbatov has made a case for Ighalo's continued stay, and Simon has now backed the Bulgarian on behalf of his compatriot.
“If the Manchester United deal can be sealed permanently, not just a loan deal, I think it will be good for his football, his family, and for Nigeria football,” Simon told TribalFootball.
“Odion Ighalo has proved to be a good striker in Man Utd in the few games he played.
“It will be good for Nigeria football to see Ighalo succeed at Old Trafford. He has shown good qualities of succeeding already.”
