Odion Ighalo will not travel to Manchester United’s training camp in Spain due to potential changes to border restrictions on people travelling from China to the United Kingdom.
United and Shanghai Greenland Shenhua reached a six-month loan agreement for Ighalo, 30, on the final day of the January transfer window, with Solskjaer desperate to bolster his attacking options to ease the pressure on Marcus Rashford.
Ighalo has revealed that he had to take a pay-cut to move to Old Trafford but the Nigerian, a lifelong United fan, didn’t think twice about joining the Red Devils.
However, the coronavirus crisis in China means Ighalo must wait to join up with his new team-mates. Solskjaer’s squad headed out to Marbella for a warm-weather training camp on Friday morning.
Rashford (back) and Paul Pogba (ankle) will not be present at the camp, but Scott McTominay has traveled as he steps up his recovery from a knee injury.
Asked whether injured players will fly out to Spain with the rest of the squad, Solskjaer told United’s official website: ‘No, we do have different scenarios. There will be three or four. Marcus, Paul, they’re not ready yet to join in the training.
‘Lee Grant unfortunately has had an injury, so he will require surgery, so he will be out for two or three months, so hopefully he’ll get back before the end of the season.
‘Odion [Ighalo] will stay in Manchester, because since he’s coming from China in the last 14 days and the news of the virus there we’re not sure if he’s going to be allowed back into England if he leaves the country again, so he’s staying here working with a personal coach, individual programme and his family then can settle in England as well. That’s a plus.
‘Of course he might have liked to have come with the players and got to know them, but the risk [of potential border restrictions tightening], we don’t want to take that.’
Ighalo has been undergoing double training sessions alongside Team GB’s Olympic Taekwondo team as he looks to hit the ground running at United and Solskjaer has not been surprised by his application.
‘We want players here who want to give everything they’ve got and Odion I know from before,’ the Norwegian said.
‘He played in Norway and he’s got such a lovely personality, a great character.
‘He’s going to come in and be a big, big boost for both himself, his family, his country, but also our group.’
On McTominay’s fitness, Solskjaer added: ‘Scotty has done better in his recovery than we thought, so we will take him with us.
‘Hopefully he can join in the training sessions and Axel [Tuanzebe] as well, he’ll join in, so that’s two positives.
‘It’s a good chance for them to use this time with the players.’
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from Football – Metro https://ift.tt/2tGIXfp
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