Ex-Manchester United defender Derek Brazil has sung the praises of new signing Odion Ighalo.
Ighalo is already a firm favourite with the Old Trafford faithful.
Since arriving from Chinese Super League club Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, Ighalo has netted three times in seven games for Manchester United.
At the time, with Marcus Rashford out injured and joined on the injury table by fellow striker Anthony Martial, there was a dearth of firepower upfront for Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side.
The need for someone up front to fill that vacant hole was growing ever larger by the game and in a surprising move, the Red Devils swooped in for ex-Watford man Ighalo, who confessed he was a Manchester United fan growing up.
It seemed so good for the Nigerian even getting a move to United, but scoring at Old Trafford against Club Brugge in the Europa League topped off a magical few weeks for the 30-year-old.
Speaking before Manchester United’s 2-0 win over city rivals Manchester City on Sunday, former Manchester United player Brazil was full of praise for the on-loan striker and even suggested he should have started in the game against City.
He said: “I really hope he starts today, I really do. The games that he’s started in, the games that he’s come on in, he is a centre-forward, out-and-out centre forward.
“When a new player comes to United, especially one who’s had a few doubts about him like Ighalo, the bits that he came on in the games, he held the ball up well, he brings people into play, and he always wants to get in the six-yard box.
“Martial is different. As a centre-half i’d prefer to play against someone like Martial because you know that if you do give them a little wack from behind then he’s not going to try and recover that ball.
“Ighalo for me is is proving people wrong.
“And he took his goal- I know it was only Derby but it was two good finishes- and I think he will give more problems to the Man City back line than Martial would on his own up there because the way United play, they do counter attack.
“If you’ve just got Martial up there, and you want him to hold the ball up so that the runners can get to him, you know he doesn’t do- he’ll probably do it six times out of 10.
“But with Ighalo, from what I’ve seen, his percentage is more than that. You’re talking eight, nine times out of 10 he’ll keep it.”
Although the Norwegian didn’t start with the two players upfront, it is a combination Brazil would like to see in due course: “I think you could play the both of them. You could and then it’d be nice to see if if they could play together.”
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