Manchester United believe they have boosted their chances of Champions League qualification with the leftfield loan signing of striker Odion Ighalo.
Ighalo, 30, has joined United on a five-month loan from Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua to offset the absence of Marcus Rashford, sidelined until late March with a double stress fracture to his back.
Former Watford striker Ighalo is represented by the agent Atta Aneke, an associate of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's agent Jim Solbakken. Ighalo is due to fly to Manchester this weekend after a deadline day deal Bournemouth striker Joshua King - formerly a Solbakken client - did not materialise.
Tottenham Hotspur, deprived of their centre forward Harry Kane until April through a hamstring injury, lodged a late bid to recruit Ighalo but the Nigeria international chose to join United. The MEN understands Tottenham coach Jose Mourinho is privately fuming at the club's failure to sign a striker on a short-term arrangement.
United are level on points with Spurs and six off fourth-placed Chelsea, who were also in the market for a striker but ended the winter window without any reinforcements. Chelsea number nine Tammy Abraham has managed just four Premier League goals in the last three months.
Senior United sources have told the MEN the club is satisfied with the short-term fix of Ighalo, citing his Premier League experience and top scorer status at the African Cup of Nations last year. Ighalo grew up in Lagos as a United fan who idolised Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke.
United do not have the option to buy Ighalo and club sources have stressed he is not part of their long-term strategy. United have determined 23 is the ideal age to sign a player following their recruitment reboot but have made an exception in Ighalo due to the significant injury to Rashord.
Bruno Fernandes was extensively scouted by United and the circumstances had changed markedly enough to convince the club to move for the £46.5million Fernandes this month. Those present at United's Carrington training complex on Friday said Fernandes 'is already creating a buzz among players and staff' after one session.
Fernandes, 25, is expected to make his debut against Wolves at Old Trafford on Saturday and will have had the benefit of half a season with the club come the start of next term. United finalised their shortlist of long-term targets, among them Leicester City playmaker James Maddison and Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish, at the start of January.
The move for Ighalo has inevitably drawn scorn from several United fans baffled the club has still not sufficiently replaced Romelu Lukaku in the 10 months since he informed them of his intention to leave. Ighalo left the Premier League for the Chinese Super League in January 2017 in a £20m switch to Changchun Yatai. Overall, he scored 17 goals from 55 Premier League games for Watford.
Lukaku recently revealed he told Solskjaer in March he wanted to move to Inter Milan yet United failed to replace him in the summer, having considered moves for Juventus duo Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic. Solskjaer met Erling Haaland, 19, in December but the Norwegian rejected United in favour of Borussia Dortmund and has plundered five goals in two Bundesliga substitute appearances.
Rashford is United's highest scorer this term with 19 but has mainly played from the left flank. Anthony Martial has tallied 12 in 27 appearances but Solskjaer appeared to question his suitability as a figurehead after the Frenchman's tepid performance in the League Cup semi-final second leg at Manchester City.
"We need more goals. I know if we get Bruno over the line we've got a boy there who'll score and create. So let's talk on Friday.
"We need more goalscorers, we need more goals; that's a definite. Need someone who wants to break their nose to score a goal or their toe, doesn't have to be the nice ones, we know that.
"I am challenging them and I need to challenge them more, because we can't just score nice goals. Even today we pegged them back at times and played them deep and they stayed outside their box and defended, but we couldn't create those chances, those moments.
"We're going to get there, no doubt, these players want to learn, they've improved so much."
When Solskjaer was specifically asked about the mercurial Martial, he replied: "I'll never accept players not wanting to score goals and easy goals, because they're easy goals when you make right movements and stay in the box.
"I'm going to work with them and we're going to work and work and work until we get it done."
