Odion Ighalo has yet to train at Manchester United’s AON Training Complex despite joining the club nearly two weeks ago.
Ighalo has been building up his fitness at the GB Taekwondo Centre in Manchester – right next to rivals Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.
With the United squad away at a warm-weather training camp in Spain, Ighalo has been working on a personalised fitness programme with performance coach Wayne Richardson.
Ighalo, on loan from Shanghai Shenhua for the rest of the season, did not travel to Marbella with the United squad over concerns about him being readmitted to the UK in the wake of the coronavirus sweeping China, which has already claimed more than 1,000 lives.
The striker remained in Manchester to work on his fitness, but is understood not to have trained at United’s Carrington training complex despite it having state-of-the-art facilities.
United say the reason Ighalo is not training at their Carrington base is because the GB Taekwondo Centre is closer to the Lowry Hotel, where the 30-year-old is staying, and because most of the club’s fitness staff are out in Marbella.
Ighalo is working with Richardson today and on Friday, before joining up with his United teammates ahead of Monday’s Premier League trip to Chelsea.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already confirmed former Nigeria international Ighalo will travel with the squad to Stamford Bridge and is expected to be named in the 18-man squad.
The Reds moved for Ighalo after top scorer Marcus Rashford was ruled out for up to three months with a double stress fracture of the back.
United have struggled for goals without Rashford and have brought in former Watford striker Ighalo to address the issue.
Trending
- Tinubu at 72: Leadership in challenging times, by Tunde Rahman
- Okuama Killings: Army whisks Delta monarch to Abuja
- Primeboy files petition against Mohbad’s widow for false accusations, threats to life
- Rivers: APC kick against Atiku’s men support for Tinubu, says its hypocrisy
- Okuama Killings: Army whisks away Delta monarch to Abuja
- Students kick as Baze University hikes tuition by 35%, hostel 100%
- NIPPS Alumni to EFCC Chairman: You’re not alone
- Ebonyi pledges to sustain achievements as USAID BA-N scales back health support